Thanagarian
by may yuki
Summary: Kenra, a Thanagarian, has a motive: Kill Shayera Hol. As she trains with Deathstroke and his daughter, the Ravager, she searches for Shayera and ways to get her attention. Enter Kenra Hol, Assassin graduate and Shayera Hol's younger sister. T for swearing, violence, and occasional graphic deaths.
1. Crash

**Lefty: Yes, Loki's Son, your encouragement created a whole new army of plot bunnies. I hope you're proud of yourself XD**

**May: This changed from one-shots to the entire story itself. -_-**

**Lefty: hehe...yup! I had originally planned to make this a series of one-shots, but the plot bunny army made me change it to the whole story...*ahem* Well then**

**On with the story! **

* * *

Space. The empty, dark, and quiet world beyond our planet. How dreary it seems, what with seeing the planets and a few moons here and there move around the sun. The silence is deafening and it's surprising that some people can actually live on the space shuttles for so long. One such man, named Michael Valens, is floating outside a huge building in the sky, inspecting a part of the building. This building is the Justice League watchtower, placed there to warn the superheroes of an impending invasion or threat. Michael Valens is your typical, average-Joe except for the fact that he works for superheroes.

He and his partner, Tania Hughes, are tasked with inspecting the outer part of the Watchtower to help maintain its functions. There are others scattered around the Watchtower, but Michael and Tania are tasked with this section of the Watchtower. Michael curses when he sees the other workers being drawn back into the tower. "Why are we still here? Why are there only the two of us?" he complains.

"If you stopped complaining, we wouldn't have to take so long," Tania retorts, a frown on her face.

"I'm serious, it's so boring! We never see anything while the others get to watch the superheroes work inside. We're stuck on this side near the no-names!"

Tania sighs inside of her suit. Of all the people to be partnered with, why did it have to be this man? Before she can say anything, she spots a faint twinkle in the far distance of the space. Michael also notices it and stares at it as it gets closer.

"Shit! Get us back in, Tania!" Before he had even finished his sentence, she had already pressed the alarm button. Alarms are blaring throughout the watchtower as the hatch opens for them. As they slowly get pulled in, Tania, being the closer of the two to the strange object, realizes that it is a small shuttle. The cables supporting them abruptly stop and Michael begins yelling for help. "What the hell! Of all the times for this stupid piece of shit to break down, it had to be now?" Tania, however, stays motionless as she stares at the small ship. There's something about it that looks vaguely familiar…

She is shaken out of her thoughts when the cable jerks itself, knocking the wind out of her. She turns around, noticing that Michael is using her cable to crawl back in. "What the hell, Michael?"

"I can't die out here! I've got too much to live for!"

_Yeah, sitting on the couch drinking is sooo important,_ she thinks to herself, rolling her eyes. At this time, the shuttle has gotten much closer and all she can do is make herself move over a bit before the heat from the shuttle burns her and Michael to death. As it streaks by, she feels a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. She looks up, seeing J'onn J'onzz carrying her back into the safety of the watchtower. She glances at the shuttle, wondering, "_Why are Thanagarians still coming to Earth?"_

* * *

The golden shuttle shudders as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere. The person inside of the small and compact shuttle curses as they spot sparks here and there. _This is what I get for leaving without checking the surroundings…_

As the ground gets closer, they give up on trying to fix the accursed machine and pulls a lever dangling in front of them. The hatch opens and the figure grabs their trusty Nth metal sword. She shakily stands up, her wings slowly unfurling from the compressed space. As smoke continues billowing around her, she slowly counts down and pushes up just before she crashes with the shuttle. Flapping her wings to relieve the stinging ache on her back, she sheathes her sword onto the leather scabbard hanging on her waist. She smiles, despite the conditions, thinking, _"Just like how Fray tried to sabotage my flight test…"_

A dark shadow passes over her face, her smile disappearing quicker than a lightning bolt. Fray…one of the boys that would poke fun at her at the Thanagarian Academy. Oh, how she missed him. The last time she had seen him, he was charging out of the Harkn'vesh dormitories heading to the barracks. She can still remember his little catchphrase, "Let's pound some Gordanian asses!" Shaking her head clear of such thoughts, she descends and inspects the damage that had been done to her shuttle. Well, she won't be going back to Thanagar for a while.

"Then again, there's not much to return to…" she mutters, letting out a compressed sigh. Before she had left, she had seen Hro Talak's flagship crash into the Gordanian mother-ship. A noble choice, but in her opinion, too little…too late. As much as she hates to admit it, the war was already over. She herself had barely escaped with her life. Her hand unconsciously goes to cover her left eye, a battle scar given to her before she had left her home.

Her home…She feels a cold hand clutch her heart. Her home had been taken away by the accursed Gordanians. She had lost her mother and father when they had gone to fight against the Gordanians that one fateful day. After that, she was placed in the Academy's dormitory for orphans. Technically, she wasn't alone, but she hasn't talk to _that_ person for years now. She lets out a low growl, remember _her_. That _woman_ was practically a catalyst for the end of Thanagar. If _she_ hadn't destroyed the hyperspace bypass on this damn planet, she wouldn't even be here. Hell, she wouldn't have gotten the scar on her eye!

A faint rustling comes from her left and her body instinctively gets into a defensive position, ready to dart to the nearest shadow. Luckily, the location she had landed in is currently in the middle of the night. She lowers her voice into a growl, questioning, "Who's there?" A shadow comes out of the dark, seeming to materialize out of nowhere with a chuckle.

"No one. Just a highly paid mercenary," comes the reply. Her hand reaches for the sword's hilt as the shadow continues on. "Are you sure you want to do that? You're leaving the left side of your body open doing that." The familiar, scraping noise of steel on leather emits as her sword points at the shadow.

Keeping her low voice, she interrogates him, "What do you want with me?"

"Considering the fact that you're a Thanagarian, I could just leave you to die here in _Blüdhaven_. After all, there are many people that are out for Thanagarian blood after the failed invasion." The Thanagarian growls at the mysterious mercenary. "Or, I could let you work with me. You can do whatever you want as long as you do what I say when necessary."

"Why would you help me?"

"Perhaps, it's because I trust you and hope that the two of us can agree to a good and happy partnership." The mercenary stops momentarily, chuckling. "Of course, that's bullshit. From what I have gathered, and believe me, it's not that much, you are Shay-"

Before he can finish his statement, a strong cold wind gusts about him as he feels a sword placed on his neck, poised to slit his throat at any moment. "Don't say her name in front of me," she growls. She feels something sharp poking her abdomen. Glancing down, she notices a dagger ready to counter her sword. "You have guts, human," she mutters, pulling away from him. She sheathes her sword and crosses her arms. "So, what's your motive in all of this?"

"Well, let's just say that there is a hero in her little organization that has made me suffer many times. You can have _her_, and once the rest of the heroes have gathered, I'll take care of the rest. But before that can happen, you need training and we need money." He turns away from her, and looks up at the dark evening sky. "So, would you like to accept my offer?"

The Thanagarian stands there for a moment, contemplating her options. "If I say no?"

"Then I will leave you here on your own. You will have to survive on your own and other villains will use you for their own purposes."

"Isn't that what you're doing to me, as well?"

He chuckles, "Similar, but the difference is, of course, that I will let you get your target." He turns back to her, extending out his hand. "So, do you accept?"

She stares at his hand before walking over to him, replying, "Of course. Anything to get back at Shayera Hol." They shake on it and the mercenary introduces himself.

"I am called Deathstroke as a mercenary. My real name? You can just call me Slade or Wilson. What is yours?"

The Thanagarian smiles innocently with a malevolent glint in her eyes. "My name? Kenra."

"Kenra Hol…"

* * *

**Lefty: Did I make that evil or what?**

**May: That's up to the readers, Lefty. **

**Lefty: Isn't my nickname Blanca? Heck, is it Deli now? I don't even know anymore…**

**May: To explain to you readers (if you care), Lefty is our dear author's nickname, given to her last year. This year, being the only JV Singles player that slices (the others can't for strange reasons…), two girls gave her the nickname Deli because she slices. Ha…funny isn't it -_- The other nickname, Blanca, was given by our JV Coach because he "likes the name Blanca."**

**Lefty: *laughs sheepishly* Anyways, I will be uploading somewhat frequently so people *coughLoki'sSoncough* don't ask where I wandered off to. Or assume I died in Hell Week or such.**

**May: ...Don't worry, Hell Week isn't until next year. Just be careful with senior year...**

**Lefty: Why? ...Oh crap, Queen Slenderman might be running a day. Dear gosh, I hope I survive. She better not make us run like crazy... _ **


	2. The End Justifies the Means

**Lefty: I lied… This is going to be the whole story. If you haven't noticed, I've taken "The Fallen Hero" down. It's going to be placed into the story with a few changes here and there to match with what I have going thus far. I have this darn problem where I start in the middle and then have to restart it. Forgive me people. But this is how it's going to happen. Oh and have a few tissues laying around if you have a soft spot for sad stuff. Without further ado…**

**On with the story!**

* * *

_On Thanagar, Thanagarians are split into three sections. The first of them, the lowest, is for the Thanagarians that are not strong enough to fight in the war. Everyone considers them cannon fodder, since they can't do much except stall the enemy for a while. They live in small houses similar to the slums on Earth. The second section is for foot soldiers whose division could not be decided upon. They tend to live in the military barracks so they're up and ready to begin battle in a moment's notice. The third section is for lieutenants and the higher-ups to live with their families. They live in towers at least 500 feet near the military barracks as well. In one such golden hued tower, with a window in certain rooms to fly to and from the house, you could hear a lieutenant scolding her child._

"_Kenra, get down from there! You'll hurt yourself!" Her mother demanded as the then 9-year old Kenra floated onto the top of the cupboard. At that age, most Thanagarians are gradually developing their wings and tend to get excited over the aspect of flying. Kenra ignored her mother, her wings allowing her to float onto the cupboard. _

_She landed on the top and peeked down at her mother, wondering why she wouldn't come up and grab her, scolding her about not obeying her parents. You see, ever since her elder sister had gone to the Thanagarian Academy, Kenra had decided to act out. No one knew why. Her friends believe it's because she doesn't want to be shown up by her elder sister. Some say it's the fact that her parents are never home to take care of her. Kenra was, in a way, a special case. Being the 2__nd__ child of a family in a planet at war, Kenra only received attention from the nurturers in the shelters. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she actually was craving for attention. _

_Everyone expected her to be like her elder sister, but she just wanted to live life how she deemed important. It's always "Kenra, do this. Kenra, do that. Kenra, you have to pick it up if you hope to pass the basic training. Kenra, you're the daughter of two highly-ranked soldiers, you should be stronger. Kenra, your elder sister passed with flying colors, you have something to follow." _

_Every time she heard her father and other people state something similar, she would be seething inwardly. Why does she have to go to the Academy and train to fight a war that might not even guarantee an easy victory? From what she's seen, so many have died and still, they can't even win. Why does she have to join the Harkn'vesh with her sister? She's sick of it all! When she heard that there were some Thanagarians that dropped out because of their rebellious nature, she decided that is what she would do. She hoped that acting out before even attending the Academy would keep her from even entering it. _

_Her mother stood there, glaring at the rebellious Thanagarian with her hands on her hips. "Kenra Hol, get down this instant, or I'm going to lock you in your room!" Kenra rolled her eyes, looking for an object to throw at her mother. These threats were getting old and worse by the day. Her keen eyes spotted a vase and she reached for it. But before she can do so, the cupboard shook violently. It seemed as if the whole world was being turned upside down. She lost her balance, her arms flailing about. "Kenra!" Fear having taken over her body, all she could do was freeze as she squeezed her eyes shut ready for the impact. It never came. Instead, she felt herself wrapped up in muscular, warm arms. She blinked, looking up to see her father sternly glaring at her. Her mouth curled downwards, fearful of their rebuke. Even though she's messed with her mother, she feared her father. After all, he's the one that trains her day and night with her Nth metal sword and such. _

"_Kenra, what have I told you about disobeying your mother?" he demanded, placing her on the ground and staring at her so hard, she thought she would burst into flames. "This is the 5__th__ time you've done something like this and if I weren't here, you could have gotten injured. You know that your birthday is coming up in a few months, and you should be spending this time to prepare yourself for the Academy. Do you remember what I told you? The Academy-"_

"_Will not be as merciful as you are," she interrupted, inwardly rolling her eyes. "I know that, Dad, but I still have a few months left before I'm forced into that stupid Academy. Why do I even have to go to that stupid thing? What if I don't want to die in the field? I want to stay home and read books. I'm not much of a fighter, remember?" This had been a recurring argument between her and her parents. Several times when she trained, her body would abruptly shut down and not want to cooperate with her. Because of that, she had finished her training almost with long gashes and bruises._

"_Kenra, you are the daughter of two high-ranking soldiers in the Thanagarian Empire. I don't understand why you wouldn't want to carry our name as a soldier like your sister." Her mother flinched, knowing that Kenra doesn't want to be compared to her elder sister. She placed a shoulder on her husband, but he brushed it off. "There are many dying out there in the battlefield. We need more soldiers to fend off the Gordanians. Are you really going to let them take over? One soldier could be the turning point in a war. I've taught you that many times!"_

"_What's the point of this anyways? All we do is fight against an Empire! Why do we even have to fight?!" Her retort was cut off with a loud smack on her cheek. The stinging pain on her cheek caused her to wince and bring her hand up to try and lessen the pain. Before her father can do anything else, her mother stepped in._

"_Let's just stop. We'll continue this when you've calmed down." She turned back to her rebellious daughter. "You better pull yourself together, before we come back." The couple took only a few steps before the entire tower shook violently. Both parents turned towards their daughter, who was looking around in shock. _

"_Kenra! Get down!" they both yelled. The couple sprinted towards her, covering her as the tower, having been hit by Gordanian blasters, rapidly crumbled. Dust billowed upwards as the three lie under the rubble._

* * *

Kenra sits up, sweat pouring down her face and fear etched on her face. She glances around, looking for her sword and mask. She shakes her head slowly as the fresh memories replay in her mind. That was the day her mother and father had been killed. Somehow, she had survived the ordeal, but the rubble had crushed both her parents to death. At first, she didn't want to believe it, refused to accept it, but she saw their bodies being carried away on the stretchers. She saw the crushed hands and feet, the distorted faces, their wings mangled.

Tears slowly form in her eyes as she bites her lips, forcing the tears back. She had already told herself to stop crying when she was little. She's much older now, so why…why do tears still form even now? A sudden realization hits her. If it weren't for her accursed sister, her parents' deaths wouldn't have been in vain. Hell, a lot of deaths would have and could have been a bit less saddening if this damn planet had been used in the hyperspace bypass. She curses her weakness. If she had been a bit stronger, they would have probably let her come here and help collect intel. So what if she was too young at the time? If she had been there, the Gordanians wouldn't have invaded.

She glances at her sword, practically her only memory of her parents. Her mother had used that sword when she was younger. She had stated that the sword is passed down from mother to child. Kenra's elder sister had been given their father's mace as an heirloom when she was about to attend the academy. Kenra decided to better herself with a sword, believing that a mace is too big and flashy to use. By now, the tears have been trickling down unbidden as memories of her time on Thanagar ends with the final Gordanian attack.

She shakes her head again, trying to clear herself from these thoughts. Her heart begins to ache over the thought of all of her classmates gone. Her father and mother, her classmates, the Thanagarian Elders, the nurturers that cared for her, Fray… All because of one person. All because of her sister. As she sits there, she begins hearing a rather…sinister whisper. Telling her over and over that all she has to do is find her sister, and kill her. The end justifies the mean. She looks up, her eyes shimmering with tears and anger, feeling resolute. She will train with this mercenary to better herself, and then, she will get her revenge. The end justifies the means, she tells herself.

The end justifies the means.

* * *

_Meanwhile in the Watchtower_

After Tania and Michael had been pulled in, there was a slight panic from the workers and the wet-behind-the-ears superheroes. But, with Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, J'onn, and Green Lantern there, the brewing mayhem was calmed. Now, Superman and Green Lantern are outside investigating the reason why the cable had stopped. Meanwhile, Flash and Wonder Woman are in the infirmary with Michael and Tania, interrogating them. J'onn has decided to watch over the workers and superheroes and make sure they are ok.

"Are you sure it wasn't just some other ship? How are you 100% sure that the ship was Thanagarian?" Flash questions. Michael is on the bed, muttering to himself as Tania explains the situation to the two League members.

"I remember that huge Thanagarian ship that came here a few years ago. There's no way I'm going to forget the intricate design and pattern choice of the Thanagarians.

"But, why would they even come here? I mean, we stopped them last time and Shayera swore that she isn't with them anymore," Flash asks as Diana stares out the window to the wide, open space, a frown on her face.

"I don't know. Why would I know?" Tania mutters, irritation starting to creep into her voice. "I'm just a worker here."

Flash notices her annoyance and apologizes, "Sorry, I was just muttering to myself."

"Well, if you're done, can I leave? I have to go and tell our son that we'll be back late." Flash nods, and she leaves the room. He notices Diana scrutinizing something.

"Something wrong?" She ignores him, deep in thought. He taps her shoulder and she jumps in surprise. He repeats his question as she turns to Michael.

"I keep thinking about what he was saying when we rescued him. It seemed like…" she pauses, trying to gather her thoughts. "…as if he was afraid of Thanagarians. He kept saying something similar to 'Stay away from me. I don't want to put up with it again.'"

"Man, what did the Thanagarians do to everyone…?" Flash wonders, curious whether or not Shayera had heard about the ship.

"Some claimed that the Thanagarians kidnapped them and tortured them to get us out of hiding. Of course, Shayera had nothing to do with it, but she could have stopped them."

"But she didn't know about it. She was busy helping that stupid bypass be constructed and spent almost the rest of her time in a prison on the ship."

"We don't know that, Flash. She could've gone with the other Thanagarians on a little torture spree."

Flash frowns, not happy with Diana's accusation. He assumed that they had already reconciled after that Tartarus incident. Apparently, Diana still has some lingering doubts. "I thought you two were ok with each other already. Why are you accusing her of having something to do with that ship? For all we know, it could be some other species that stole that ship. We should just go, find the location of where the craft crashed, and then see if it actually does have something to do with Shayera, before we say anything."

Diana stands there, contemplating over Flash's suggestion. "Do we know where it landed?"

"We can go and check with J'onn right now, actually, I'm gonna go first so I can tell Shayera. See ya!" With that, the Fastest Man Alive zooms out of the room, gusts of wind momentarily blowing Diana's hair back. She takes a step forward, but stops when she feels someone grab her arm. She turns to see Michael with fear evident on his face.

He mumbles, "Please…I don't want to die yet. It hurts so much…I don't know anything, please stop. I don't want to go through the pain anymore. Please, my wife is still waiting for me. Our son is waiting for me too. Tania, please…help." After a few more mumblings, he closes his eyes, entering a fitful sleep as Diana stands there.

She places him back onto the bed as she leaves the infirmary. As she walks throughout the halls of the Watchtower, one question is running through her mind. Is this going to be another Thanagarian invasion? Or could it be someone with a personal vendetta against Shayera?

Diana can only hope that it's neither.

* * *

Flash zooms onto the observation deck as J'onn searches for the craft's landing. "Did ya find it yet?" he asks quickly.

"Not yet," is the stern reply.

"Come on, the Earth is only so big. Does it really take that long?"

"I had followed the trail of the shuttle, but after it crashed, I could no longer track it."

"Couldn't you just, you know, make the area where we have to search smaller? I mean, you did say you were following its trail until it crashed."

"All I know is that it landed in Blüdhaven." As soon as the words leave his mouth, Flash immediately zooms to the teleportation deck.

"Tell Diana I'll be scouting out the place for the shuttle! But first, I have to go to GL's! Shayera's probably there right now." With that, Flash beams out. J'onn stands there, still searching for the shuttle's exact location. J'onn frowns, remembering who resides in Bludhaven, aside from Nightwing. He'll have to warn Flash that _that mercenary_ is still living there.

* * *

_5 hours later… 9 AM in Blüdhaven_

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Her eyes groggily open as the incessant noise continues. "Get up; your training will begin in an hour. I expect you to be ready by then." After a few seconds of listening to Wilson's receding footsteps, she sits up. The nightmare from last night is still fresh in her mind and she hopes that the training will be enough to get her mind off of it. Her room is rather small, only having a bed and dresser in it. There is one lone window and she can see some birds hopping around in their nest on the branch closest to the window. She stares at the nest, noticing how different that little family is from hers. Where there is love and compassion, in her family, it's only training and pushing one to their limit. She sighs, wondering if they ever cared for her elder sister. She crawls out of bed, making a rustling noise with the blankets as she tries to clear her head of thoughts.

She places her mask onto her face, remembering that it is a tradition for Thanagarians to wear masks when not with close relatives or their betrothed. She walks over to the dresser, pulling out the cloak she had taken with her from Thanagar. She changes into her black and yellow breastplate and wraps the dark and sinister cloak around her as she puts on her black boots. With the proper Thanagarian Assassin outfit on, Kenra clips her Nth metal sword onto her belt. She walks out of the room with determination on her face.

She will get her revenge.

No matter what the cost.

* * *

**I can't believe that no matter what I did, I still couldn't make the chapter longer. OTL Only 3k words…well, I guess it's understandable considering how this is only the 2****nd**** chapter. Hopefully, the number of words will increase…And, I complained about plot bunnies, now they have stopped breeding and my ideas are slowly ending. I need to listen to more music. I'll update again soon, or until whenever my beta is done X3**


	3. I Will Avenge You

**Chapter 3! ^^**

"**Where there is desire**

**There is gonna be a flame**

**Where there is a flame, **

**Someone's bound to get burned**

**But just because it burns,**

**Doesn't mean you're gonna die.**

**You gotta get up and Try…"**

**-P!nk **

**Ah, and thank you to Kitsura E. for the edit. Without you, the story wouldn't be as gory and dramatic as it is now! :D (blame 5stareader…)**

**On with the story!**

* * *

"Get up, Kenra." Eyes closed and sweat pouring down her face, Kenra pants in exhaustion. Lying spread-eagled on her back and looking up at the dull and metallic building, she can just imagine her feathers falling off. Her arms and legs are on fire and her head is throbbing. She grits her teeth, trying to slow her heart rate down. "**Get. Up.**" In annoyance, she mentally frowns at the voice. It's been a week since she'd been discovered by Wilson, the mercenary. She doesn't remember having to work this hard when she was in the Academy, or even the Assassination Division.

"I know you're still alive, Kenra. Clearly, you need help. Just a few hours of sparring and you're already at your limit." She can hear _his _voice as Wilson's voice begins to fade in the background.

"Kenra." A foot nudges her shoulder just as the darkness takes over.

* * *

_Slowly, she sat up and winced as vertigo hit her and increased her exhaustion ten-fold. Just that little amount of movement had her gasping for air. Shaking her head, She blinked at her surroundings. The grass that surrounded her was a familiar site as it rustled in the breeze. Her friends were lying nearby. That must mean that she was in the fields outside the Academy. Kenra placed a hand on her chin in confusion as she wondered when she had fallen asleep. _

"_Kenny?" A voice sounded by her ear and she stiffened when a hand landed on her shoulder. Lazily, she tilted her head and tried to place the voice with a face and name. It was a familiar voice – male, young, and not too deep or high-pitched. "You ok?"_

_She nodded, relief beginning to fill her as she remembered what she was doing out on the fields. "Yeah." _

_She was 12 again and back on Thanagar. She had wanted to take a break from all of the training so she dragged some of her friends out to the fields near the Academy. As long as the people in the Academy could see them, and they could see the Academy, they didn't mind. Kenra smiled as a sudden breeze swept by and rustled the grass. She loved the feeling of a breeze, especially on her back. With the breeze brought along memories of when she was a child – when she would run around in fields with her friends and sister. Her eyes snapped open in remembrance and belatedly she wondered when they'd closed. She hadn't seen her sister in years, but she could have sworn she saw her sister once in the Academy. She just couldn't remember when._

_A hand entered her field of vision and waved, "Helllooooo, is Kenny in there?" Soon, a body followed the hand and she blinked as she took in the boy's appearance. _

_His faced was masked, just like any other Thanagarian. Once, she had seen him without his mask, when he had been disrespectful to the Thanagarian Elders. Though it was brief, she remembered seeing that he had short and wind-swept black hair and sea-blue eyes. In surprise, she had also noticed that he had a slightly crooked nose, possibly from all the scuffles he had with the older Thanagarians in the Academy. _

_The boy crouching in front of her with concern etched across his face was Fray Katal. She had first met him in the "Orphan Room", made especially for the children of soldiers that had passed away. She had been so shaken by the ordeal that had led to her staying in the "Orphan Room" that she wouldn't talk to anyone, not even the Elders. Only Fray had stepped in to rescue her from the cruel and harsh questions that were bombarding her._

_To this day, she can still remember his exact words, "I don't think anyone, not just children, would want to answer these kinds of questions, sir. Could you at least ask them a bit more nicely instead of being so blunt?" She had been on the verge of tears that day until Fray, a total stranger, stood up for her. The Thanagarian Elders instantly began scolding him for being so "disrespectful" to them while he started challenging them. Unfortunately, they ripped his mask off of his face in front of all the orphans just to embarrass him as punishment in the end. _

_Kenra was startled out of her memories when Fray once again called her by that dreaded nickname. _

"_Stop calling me Kenny," she muttered. "I'm too old for that…" She heard an exasperated sigh. _

"_Kenny…" She twitched slightly, but continued listening. "We're only 12. We haven't even graduated from basic training. Look, I'll make a deal with you. If you can graduate with higher grades than me, the great Fray Katal, then I will stop calling you Kenny and you can give me a ridiculous nickname and I won't complain. If I graduate with higher grades, I can call you Kenny and any other nicknames I want," he stated matter-of-factly._

_By this time, they had both caught the attention of their friends. _

"_I honestly think Fray's gonna win this one," Halima suggested. She had shoulder-length black hair, grass-green eyes, and was the youngest of the 5 friends by a year. Her parents were too busy to pay attention to her, so they had sent her to the Academy earlier than anyone else._

"_Whose side are you on, Halima?" Kenra rounded on her, glancing at her other two friends for support. _

_The laziest and most rebellious of the five, Manu, stared at the ships that passed by overhead as he lay on the ground before smirking, "Nah, I think Kenra's gonna win this bet." He had blond hair cut into a buzz-cut with dark, droopy eyes that threatened to slip close under his mask as he resisted the urge to doze off. _

"_I don't really care. I mean, we don't graduate until a few years anyway," Kakra logically explained as she sat beside her twin brother, Manu. She had long, blond hair that reached between her shoulder blades with dark and alert eyes, completely different from her brother. "What do you think, Fray? Do you really believe you can win this bet? Don't forget, she's the daughter of two high-ranking soldiers in the Army." Unbeknownst to Kakra, Kenra had flinched at that statement. She was rather irked by her lineage. _

_Even in the Academy, her skills were mediocre compared to most and some teachers and students even went so far as to question whether or not she really was the daughter of her parents. She flopped back onto the grass with an exasperated sigh, rather sad at the outcome of the conversation. Now she wished Fray had never made that bet._

"_Hey, we'll see what happens when the time comes," Fray appeased, shrugging his shoulders. "We'll probably forget about this when we graduate." Kakra stared at him intently, as if trying to figure out if his words had a hidden meaning. Meanwhile, Manu and Halima had turned back to what they were doing before they got caught up into the conversation. _

_Manu had fallen asleep and was softly snoring while Halima was studying some notes before their break ended. Kenra glanced at them fondly before looking at Fray, wondering something about him as well. Why did he always jump to her defense first, before anyone else? Was it because he cared for her? No…he cared for everybody…but then…why does he always protect her? It can't be because she's a girl. So then…why? _

_A strange idea began to develop in her head and she fought down a blush. Could it be that Fray…_liked her_? She shook her head and peered at him out of the corner of her eys. Nah, that was impossible..._

_She watched as Fray once again leapt to her defense and for a brief moment, she wished that he did like her..._

* * *

Kenra feels her attention drifting again as she glances around the room she was lying in. There is gauze wrapped around her arms and a few butterfly bandages on her face. Belatedly, she realizes that one of her legs feels oddly numb and the other one is in a cast. She frowns as she tries to recall what put her in this state, but gives up as her head begins to pound. Wincing, she tries to bring her hand up to lessen the pain, but ends up causing herself even more pain as her arm jerks with agony. Her arm feels like there are a million fire ants crawling around under her skin and biting everything. She sighs when she realizes, that if she doesn't want to pass out from the pain, all she can do is lie there as still as a statue.

Her mind begins to wander back to what she dreamt about. Her eyebrows furrow in frustration as she closes her eyes; these memories _must_ stop. They're starting to become a hindrance to her training – she can't focus as long as she continues to be distracted by her memories of Thanagar. Clenching her fists, Kenra forces herself to push her thoughts away. She has to lock away those memories because she couldn't afford them to be in the way of her training, nor her mission. Otherwise, she'll never have the heart to kill _her_.

Grimacing, she resigns herself to later ask Wilson about blocking her memories and emotions. He seemed to have great control over his past, unlike her. Then again, she had just graduated from Assassination training a day before the final Gordanian Invasion took place. She can only hope that she'll be able to pull her own weight when it comes time for her to face Shayera.

Suddenly, her eyes widen and she shoots up from the bed, ignoring the screaming pain. Her ears had picked up a strange sound. She glances around, swiftly grabbing her mask of the bedside table and putting it on as her eyes shift from shadow to shadow to find out where the noise had come from.

A thin stream of light from beneath the door shines through and she narrows her eyes as a shadow crosses.

She grabs a pair of crutches conveniently left beside her bed and leaps out of the bed before pressing her back against the wall to the right of the doorknob. The shadow shifts back into view and this time, stays there. Kenra lowers herself into an attacking position, making sure that her injured leg was out of the way. Though she feels a little off-balance from the numbness of her only functional leg, she ignores the feeling and narrows her eyes at the doorknob. It turns in an agonizingly slow motion as Kenra raises one of her crutches. Never let it be said that an injured person with crutches can't break a bone.

The door swings open, almost smashing into her face as she dodges to the side, barely making a sound. The butler, Wintergreen, strolls in pushing a cart with a plate of food and utensils. He looks around as if nothing is amiss despite the missing occupant of the bed then writes something down on a sheet of paper. Setting the utensils into their proper position, he leaves the food covered before walking out and shutting the door behind him. _Click._

Kenra waits for a few, tense minutes, and then warily creeps forward towards the note. Her eyes quickly scans the message.

_Ms. Hol, _

_Master Wilson told me to give you some food to replenish yourself for your training tomorrow. He wants you to rest up and heal your wounds. Training will begin at 1100 hours sharp. _

Frowning, she lifts the cover of the plate sending a puff of steam into the air. There are scrambled eggs with two pancakes to the side. Wintergreen had also added two sausages and two strips of bacon for her to eat. At that moment, her stomach growls loudly and she chuckles to herself in bitter amusement. _I wonder what you would say to that, Fray. I always was the one that ate everything in sight…_ she reminisces.

Being an assassin on Thanagar, you had to learn to kill your emotions or at least suppress them. Otherwise, you'd go insane from the countless assassinations you did. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for assassins to die early, go insane, or both. She had learned her lesson the hard way. One time, she had to kill Halima's father because he was leaking confidential information to the Gordanians. She was told that he was doing it in return for riches and power and despite knowing who it was she was killing, she was trained to never give mercy to traitors.

That was her final test in order to graduate.

A clean cut at his jugular vein had finished her business in less than ten seconds. She had slashed a little bit too deeply and the blood had sprayed all over the walls and her dagger had gotten caught on a bit of when she pulled it downwards, but it could be passed off as an amateur attack from behind from one of his enemies. An accomplice in the illegal transactions was already prepared to take the blame whether he'd like it or not. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Death was instant.

Or so she'd thought.

In his last moments, Halima's father had looked at her with sad, bottomless eyes as blood dribbled from his mouth. She was a slightly unnerved that a dying man could have such an intense gaze, but she couldn't look away. However, it was when his bloody lips had moved to form his last words when she was shocked enough to nearly drop her weapon – Rule 1: Never leave behind any part of yourself, whether it be evidence, emotions, or anything in between. It was then that she had learned the horrifying truth that he was blackmailed to do what he did in order to guarantee his family's and his friends' safety.

In her head, she had coldly labeled him as a traitor. But in her heart, she had labeled him as a savior. Deep down, she knew that she would have probably done the same in his place and despite all her training, she had instantly begun to regret her actions - Rule 2: Never hesitate or start regretting, when you do it's over.

Killing a traitor was one thing, but when the lines began to blur into gray, that was when you had to have nerves of steel or be emotionless. It didn't help that her commander had congratulated her on a job well done, also defaming Halima's father in the process. It took all her self-control not to have a mental breakdown right then and there and start screaming.

That night, she was plagued by nightmares of dying hopes and bloody smiles.

The next day, when she ran into Halima, she had the urge to tell her everything that had happened, but a selfish part of her had held her back, not wanting to make one of her best friends into one of her most vengeful enemies. She still doesn't know whether she be grateful or not when Halima had later received a note saying that her father had been killed "in the line of duty." But Kenra had known better and though she had done many assassinations afterwards, none could match up to the agony, regret, and grief she had felt that time. She just hoped that she can one day muster up the courage to tell Halima the truth, though she was probably already dead.

Kenra pauses in eating before picking up the pace again. Great, she had gotten lost in her memories again. Maybe if she reminisced enough, she would stop thinking about the past. With that thought in mind, Kenra continues to reminisce as she eats the last of her meal.

Briefly twirling the fork in her hand, she wonders if anyone else had escaped the invasion. Halima probably died trying to rescue the children; she always was the kindest of her five closest friends. She had seen Kakra and Manu charge into the barracks. The fraternal twins had been placed in the Espionage Division with Kenra's sister and were tasked with spying on the enemy. The chances of them surviving were very slim as well. And Fray…her heart nearly skips beats. She could recall seeing him flying out of the Harkn'vesh barracks with an axe in hand to fight the Gordanians.

She had seen Fray in the midst of a group of raging Gordanians, heavily wounded. She wanted to call out to him, but knew that she couldn't afford to distract him.

An overwhelming emotion suddenly arises in Kenra's chest and she swiftly takes off her mask and raises a hand to her eyes, willing for the rebellious tears to stop. Suppressed memories of what had really happened to her friends suddenly arise.

The images are unrelenting – denied facts suddenly becoming the truth.

_Halima's unmoving body, broken and splattered on the ground after being shot by a concussion blaster high up in the sky. Her eyes wide and unseeing with her head twisted into a grotesque angle with the cervical vertebrae shoved through the skin. _

She had flown up to hold off the Gordanians while the children escaped.

_Kakra and Manu cutting through the sky like missiles, engaging the Gordanians in a vile dance of survival or death in the sky. Them charging one last ship._

She had thought they were going to be victorious – to live – before Kakra had gotten shot by a concussion blaster. In rage and grief, Manu had stopped momentarily as his sister stared back at him with horrified eyes before starting to drift more than five hundred feet to the ground. That moment of distraction had also cost him his life.

_The twins throwing their weapons in their last moments at the ship, causing it to explode. The twins falling to their deaths in one last embrace._ _The terrible ear-shattering crunch as their bodies finally smashed into the ground like marionettes with their strings cut. The pool of blood quickly spreading from their crushed organs and gray matter from their skulls blending in to make a macabre image. _

They always did say that they would stick together no matter what happens.

And Fray…

Her hands shook and she felt cold and hot all over.

_Fray getting his wings stabbed – _a Thanagarian's weakest spot because of all the nerves there_ - by a Gordanian as three more of the cowardly monsters surrounded him from all sides. Him letting out one last gurgling breath as the others swarmed in for the kill. _

She remembered his warm and caring gaze meeting hers for one last time as he mouthed his final words to her. She wasn't clear on what happened after that. All she remembered was a crimson haze, screaming metal, and anguished cries. Maybe she was the one screaming, who knew. All she knew was that after the haze had disappeared, she had somehow escaped, covered in blood and shredded cloths and flesh. After that, she had fled to the shuttles in the Academy…to flee the doomed planet.

By now, Kenra's tears are flowing down interminably. She tries to stifle her sobs in vain. With him down, the Gordanians had…She shook her head, anguished screams threatening to escape her mouth and trembling muscles wishing to rip apart the room.

She didn't want to relive that part of her memory. Not yet. Not anymore. Never again.

She sinks her face into her hands, food forgotten as salty tears streams through her fingers. She doesn't want to remember her past anymore.

She wants to forget everything.

All she wants…is revenge. A bitter chuckle sneaks past her lips and soon she was laughing hysterically with anger and pain.

If her sister had never helped destroy the hyperspace bypass, she wouldn't be in this position. She wouldn't have resorted to these measures. None of those countless Thanagarians would have been killed.

Her precious friends would still be _alive. _

With cold determination, she wipes away the last of her tears and glares chillingly at her clenched fists. No more sentimental thoughts. She _will_ kill Shayera Hol, her only sister.

Only then, she believes, will her friends finally be able to rest in peace…

* * *

"What are you talking about, Wally? There shouldn't be any more shuttles coming from Thanagar. Paran Dul told me that the Gordanians had already taken Thanagar. Why would there be a shuttle here now?" Shayera asks, confused by the turn of events. She had just finished watching a rerun of a wrestling match between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, with Manny losing and was livid at the decision they had made over his defeat. Wally suddenly appearing with such strange news isn't helping her already bad mood.

"How'm I supposed to know? Two workers outside on the Watchtower saw the shuttle fly by and alerted the entire Watchtower. J'onn found out that it's in _Blüdhaven_ and I decided to go and let you know before I head out there with Diana."

"Let me go with you," Shayera demands.

"Sorry, but if we bring too many people to that place, villains are gonna be on edge. Next thing you know, it'll be all-out war for no reason," Flash shoots back just as quickly.

"I know that, Wally. But you guys are going to need my help identifying the shuttle."

"But – ." His thoughts are interrupted when he receives a transmission from Diana. A moment of silence passes when the Flash's eyes sudden widen in shock. "What? The shuttle's gone? Alright, I'll head on over there."

He turns towards her with a sheepish half-smile. "Sorry, gotta go!" Leaving behind an after-image, he rushes out of the building and heads towards _Blüdhaven_. A moment passes before Shayera grabs her mace and flies after the speedster, trying not to lose track of him.

* * *

Diana is kneeling, inspecting the crater when Flash appears by her side.

"How could a shuttle just up and disappear?" he questions, glancing at the surroundings for evidence of the shuttle.

"…I'm not sure. All I know is that there's no way one person can do this by themselves. Whoever did this most likely had help. They must not want us to find the person."

"I'll go look around," Flash responds, unusually serious and solemn. Diana is surprised, to say the least. Wally is usually so loose when it comes to things like this. A fleeting thought passes her mind that it must be because this involves Shayera.

Lifting everything in sight to look for evidence, the Flash speeds around the area as Diana continues to inspect the crater. She wishes that one of the other founding members could also be here. John could use his ring to illuminate the area while Shayera used her keen eyes to help him look. Clark would be able to use his X-Ray vision to search for any lingering particles the shuttle left behind. Anything that big and conspicuous always left behind something. Batman could use his detective skills to track where the conspirators had gone off. For now, she and Wally will have to use their instincts and personal skills to find clues.

Fortunately, she doesn't have to wait very long as she sees Shayera appearing down the block. "How is it supposed to disappear that quickly?" she asks the instant she arrives.

"I'm not sure," Diana retorts, not even making eye contact. Shayera bristles, sensing the animosity emanating from the princess. Taking the hint, and making a mental note to ask Flash about the problem later, Shayera goes to the other end of the crater to inspect for clues. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Shayera risks a glance towards Diana, only to flinch when she sees the frigid glare of doom she is giving her. It's the same glare that she had seen in her prison on Hro's ship, the one that had been accompanied by sharp and blunt lectures that just repeating them would cause Shayera to squirm with shame. The same one that was accompanied with an I-should-leave-you-to-burn pose.

"_She's probably thinking that I'm going to stab her in the back again. I thought we were already done with this stupid game of Watch Your Back," _she mentally complains. She looks back down, hoping that something will appear from the rubble and allow her to prove herself to Diana.

Before she can do so, Flash zooms up beside her. "Hey, Shay, do you recognize this?" he asks, holding a tattered piece of cloth. There appears to be an intricate design on it that makes it blend into Flash's red outfit, causing Shayera to blink several times in order to focus on the cloth.

She takes it, noticing it beginning to change colors to match her hand. She frowns…where has she seen this before…? "This looks familiar…" she mutters to herself. Realization hits her, "This is a part of a specially equipped cloak that Thanagarians in the Assassination Division use. It's main use is to create a perfect camouflage cover for whoever is wearing it."

"Like a chameleon?" Diana inquires, as Wally grabs the cloth and narrows his eyes when he notices how the colors begin to morph to match his outfit once more.

Shayera nods, trying to remember if there is any other relevant information about the Assassination Division. "There shouldn't be that many assassins. I mean, that division was only created a few years after I had graduated from basic training. We could look into all of the villains' hideouts and see if we can find out who hid tried to erase the evidence of a shuttle being here," Shayera suggests.

"But we don't even know where to start," Flash begins.

"Then we'll contact the Watchtower and have them bring us some detectives," Diana answers. She brings her hand to her communicator, making contact with J'onn on the watchtower. "J'onn, are there any detectives available at the moment? We could use their help to find the ones that tried to erase the evidence."

"_Batman and Green Lantern heard the news about the shuttle and are on their way right now."_

"Alright, Wonder Woman out." She turns back to Shayera and Flash. "Batman and Green Lantern should be here so-" Before she can finish her sentence, the sleek Batmobile revved around the corner of one of the buildings with Green Lantern trailing behind in a green streak. Diana quickly explains the situation and lets Shayera step in to explain about the mysterious cloak.

The five immediately begin to scour the area. Finally, Batman finds something, a set of footprints leading off in one direction. "Do we follow the trail?" Flash asks, and Batman simply nods. Before they can do so, something small and dark lands into the center of the group.

"Get away now!" Batman exclaims. The heroes duck and cover themselves as the object explodes, knocking them back a few feet. When the smoke clears, a slightly burnt scrap of paper could be seen floating in the air. Batman swiftly snatches it and skims what was written. His eyes narrow in displeasure in suspicion.

"What's it say?" Flash questions, zooming over to Batman's side. He hands it to the speedster and his eyes too narrow. "They want us to stop looking for evidence?" He pauses, "Do you know who would do something like this?" he asks, handing the sheet of paper over to Shayera and the others.

"I can take a guess. However, the trail has been destroyed. I don't like it, but we'll have to continue our search tomorrow when there's more light," Batman decides, inspecting the damage.

They agree and slowly leave, one by one, until only Shayera was left. Standing there, she thinks about the possible people that could have been here. She, Vigilante, and Vixen had already taken care of Kragger, Paran Dul, and other team members that were there. So who else could have been in the shuttle? The only thing that she has as a lead is the "Chameleon Cloak" belonging to someone in the Assassination Division. All she can do for now is just wait and see if this mysterious person will appear once more. Maybe then can she pinpoint their motive. She supposes that there is nothing else she can do at the moment, and with resignation, she decides to head back to the Watchtower to begin her shift. Shayera requests for a recall and is immediately transported back to the Watchtower. A few seconds after she left, a dark figure appears on a nearby rooftop. They leap down, using the various windows and parked cars.

Scanning the area briefly, they nod, satisfied, before pulling out a walkie-talkie. "The heroes have left," a low and menacing voice echoes across the desolate area. "They intend to come back here in the morning. I will erase the rest of the evidence before then." The person pauses as the man on the other line speaks, "Yes sir. Over and out." They clip the walkie-talkie back on their belt and pulls out a flashlight. Turning on the flashlight, the person's face is briefly illuminated before shadows covered it once more.

One side of their mask is orange and the other is shrouded in dark blue. The person is wearing a blue jumpsuit covered by a navy blue breastplate. Their hands are covered with leather gloves and their feet are clad with orange combat boots. Two pieces of cloth trailed behind them from their mask.

"Now then, time to work…" the figure mutters, their voice higher and more feminine than before.

* * *

Kenra flops onto her bed, exhausted beyond words. Sweat is still streaming down her face and she roughly takes off her mask, her hair sticking to her face. She lies there, motionless except for the occasional rise and fall of her chest as she sucks in air. Her muscles and tendons refuse to work anymore and all she can do is lay there, letting her body rest. For some reason, Wilson decided that he would go a bit easier on her today since she had just recovered. Or so he said.

"Easier, my ass," she mutters. There was nothing easy about sparring with a highly-paid mercenary that's pretty much invincible and immortal. Then having to dodge and weave through some robots while trying to get to him within a set amount of time? That was one of the most hardcore training sessions she has ever had in her entire life. Even the Assassination Division didn't train their apprentices this badly.

All she can hope for is that the intense, Spartan training will pay off. And that hope will be proven _when_ she's standing over Shayera's cold and bloody corpse.

"I swear to you guys, Fray, Halima, Kakra, and Manu…I _will_ avenge you all. Mother…Father…I won't be a disgrace anymore. Fray…I'll make her pay for causing your death. Everyone…I hope you'll forgive me for not being strong enough to protect you all. But don't worry, I will become stronger. **I **_**will**_** find her and I **_**will **_**avenge you all…**"

She glares at the ceiling, ready to face the future. "_I swear it_…"

* * *

**Lefty: Oh damn, shit's about to go down now! xD**

**May: …Why do I feel like this is going to be a very dramatic story…?**

**Lefty: Because I like drama and suspense in my stories? :3**

**May: -_-**

**Lefty: :D Also, like I said, all the gory and bloody scenes were thanks to my friend Kitsura E. **

**Kitsura: Didn't know how assassins were done in Thanagar, tried to keep it T, otherwise I'd have made it much gorier. If it was kind of gory, blame 5stareader.**

**Lefty: Bwahaha, but without her, the story wouldn't have been as deep and meaningful as it is xD so we also have to thank her as well**

**Kitsura: -_-**

**Lefty: Teehee, and man, I updated FAST. xD I knew updating when I have the next chapter halfway done was a good idea :P**


	4. I'm Not Losing You

**Chapter 4**

**Lefty: This is most likely the longest flashback I will ever do. And have some tissues lying around as well ;_; songs, you make me so sappy… ;_; Also, there is a line similar to Final Fantasy XIII. You get a virtual cookie if you can find it ;)**

* * *

Kenra tosses and turns on her small bed, groaning in her sleep as sweat begins to pour down on her face. _Not again…_ she mutters to herself as memories begin flashing in her mind again.

_Kenra ran around the city, helping civilians from the ugly, scaly, and green monsters called the Gordanians. She could feel it in her gut. Today was going to be the final invasion and everyone's fate was sealed. Survivors will be taken prisoners for the Empire and forever forgotten. Kenra wondered why the hyperspace bypass was destroyed. She heard rumors that her own sister, her own flesh and blood, was the cause of it. People were accusing her for falling for a human soldier that caused her to changer her beliefs. _

"_I don't want to believe it though…" she muttered aloud as she helped a young Thanagarian to safety. As the child ran towards one of the bunkers, she saw another two Thanagarians cowering in fear. A Gordanian stood above them, raising his axe and prepared to decapitate the two. She rushed forwards, pulling her sword out in the process. Right as the axe fell, she intervened, her sword blocking the blow. She gritted her teeth, marveling in her sudden strength. The axe was _heavy_! _

_She heard the two screaming to watch out, and she risked a glance to them to see where they were pointing. She followed the direction and cursed just in time for a claw to rake itself up her eye. Her mask flew off as blood began streaming from the wound on her left eye. She dropped the sword and ducked out of the way as the two Gordanians turned towards her. She looked at the two cowering Thanagarians. "Get out of here!" she commanded. With her command, the two regained their movement and immediately ran away from the fight. She kneeled there, timing her next move. She needed her sword if she hoped to have even a fighting chance with the enemy. The Gordanian that had attacked her, clearly a commander, took one last step before she leapt towards him. _

_She punched him square in the face and he recoiled in pain. She wrenched the spear from him and stabbed him in the abdominal area. She pulled the spear across the abdomen and swung it towards the next Gordanian as the commander collapsed and lay there, unmoving. The Gordanian narrowly blocked her attack before it could decapitate him and she switched her hold on it, allowing it to drop and bite into her opponent's shoulder. _

_He dropped his weapon as she lifted the spear up from his shoulder, blood spurting out. The last thing the Gordanian saw was her malicious smirk before blackness. Kenra backed away as the headless Gordanian dropped to the ground, blood pouring out of the neck. She walked quickly to her sword and mask, checking for any damages. She wiped away the blood, starting to get annoyed at how the blood wouldn't stop. Sighing, she reached into a pouch and extracted gauze and medical tape. She held them in her hand and wrapped her cloak around her, sliding the cowl over her head. She clutched her mask tightly under her other arm and dashed into an alleyway. Waiting for a few tense moments, she noticeably relaxed._

_Placing the gauze pad on her lap, she pulled out a bit of the tape and cut it with her teeth. She wiped away the excess blood, and placed the pad over her eye. She taped the pad into place, making an 'X'. She slid her cowl back, putting her mask back on. She sidled out of the alley, looking for her next opponent. All of a sudden, a large shadow blotted out her view. She looked up, in time to see a horde of Gordanians flying towards her. _

_She tucked and rolled out of the way, rolling with the impact and then getting back up. She pulled her sword out, ready for a fight. As 5 Gordanians charged towards her, a foot suddenly appeared kicking them all to the side. Kenra blinked, seeing Fray standing before her. "Fray, what are you doing here? I thought you were-" Her heart momentarily stopped. Fray was panting, bloody and bruised. A part of his mask was chipped off, showing a tuft of his wind-swept hair. "Fray, why are you here?" she asked once again, as he turned towards her._

"_Hey, I'm the hero. Heroes gotta save their damsels in distress, right?" he asked, bringing his axe up. She glared at him. He lowered his axe, staring at her worriedly. "Kenra, what's wrong with your eye?" he asked, seeing the white gauze through her mask._

_She turned away. "I-it's nothing."_

"_Come on; don't pull the shy act on me now. We're fighting for our lives right now and I need'ta know if you're ok," he said, grabbing her by her shoulders._

_She turned back to him and he pulled her mask off gently to see it. His face contorted with rage. "Fray, I was trying to protect some kids. I let my guard down and the Gordanians got me at that moment," she attempted to placate him as she put her mask back on._

"_Still…" He hesitated, seeing Halima, Kakra, and Manu flying towards them. "What's up?"_

_Kenra winced, seeing blood all over their friends. "Fray, they're heading to the Academy," Manu reported, fear creeping into his voice. _

"_But that's where all the kids were taken to!" Kenra realized. _

"_We'll just have to go and get them out. I'll go and hold them off," Fray announced._

"_Let us join; Kenra can evacuate them all," Kakra suggested._

"_No! I have to help you guys!"_

_Halima turned to her, and guilt washed all over her again as she remembered her final test. "Kenra, this is the final assault. Some of us might not even live after today. At most, we want you to live. Evacuate all of the kids and then get on a shuttle. Fly to Earth. Your sister should still be there, right?"_

_Kenra nodded, not wanting to accept the fate of Thanagar. "But, I want to help."_

"_Then, help us by going to Earth. If we die, we want you to survive at least," Halima said, sorrow all over her face. Kenra wanted to say something, she really did, but something began building up in her throat. The two friends hugged each other, and Kenra hoped that her words could be said through the hug. Halima was the first to release and looked Kenra in the eye. "Don't worry, Kenra…I know what happened to my father…and I'm glad it was you that did it. It was better that it was you, then anyone else. 'Cuz I know you honored his death…like a true assassin."_

_Kenra froze. She knew? Halima knew…and she didn't blame Kenra for it? Instead…she accepted it? Tears began brimming from her eyes as she became overwhelmed with emotions. Halima stood back and allowed the fraternal twins to bear hug her. "This is one of the few times when I'm actually awake, so, I just wanted to say, I'll miss ya," Manu began. _

"_Little Hawk, she flew away from her nest, finally embracing the peaceful sky. Knowing that she will one day be reunited with her friends and family again…" Kakra muttered into her ear. It was a story that Kakra had been told by her mother. By now, the tears have started falling down. She sniffled; she always loved hearing that story. It always promised great hope for the future. The twins broke away from the hug first and Kenra turned to Fray. Her friend, her teammate…her betrothed. She felt cold, refusing to accept the possibility that she may not see him again after this moment. _

"_Fray…" she muttered, as her voice broke. She choked on her tears and just stood there, clenching her fists. It was so unfair. All of her friends had resigned themselves for death while she was escaping, to a planet that was most likely no better. As she stood there, silently letting the tears flow, she felt Fray wrapping her in his strong, burly arms. _

"_It's ok, Kenra. We'll see you again. I promise…" he whispered softly into her ear. She burrowed her head into his armor as she let out all of her frustration. The two stood there for a while as the war around them raged on and Manu had to walk over and interrupt the lovers' final embrace._

_Manu cleared his throat, tapping Fray on his shoulder. Kenra could hear his voice breaking as well. "F…Fray, w-we gotta go…B…" He paused to clear his throat again. "Before it's too late…" Fray unwillingly released Kenra and her knees buckled momentarily, as if her body needed him to function correctly._

"_Fray…" she attempted again. _

"_Don't worry, Kenny," he smiled sadly, calling her by her endearing nickname. "We'll see you again." He turned towards their friends. "Let's pound some Gordanian asses!"_

_The four flew into the raging war as Kenra gathered her bearings. She wiped away the tears and followed after them, charging into their last battle as a team._

* * *

_The battle was long fought, when finally, only Fray's squad of 5 was left amongst the horde of Gordanians. Blood was streaming down Halima's face as she gripped her Kamas tightly. Her body continued to sway, ready to attack or defend at any moment's notice. Manu and Kakra were back-to-back as they faced off their own crowd, ready to move. Fray was standing over bodies of Gordanians, waiting for the enemy commander. Kenra continued to fight her own group of the lizards off in the distance, blood continuing to rain down on her. "Come at me, you assholes!" Fray roared at the commander. _

_He only growled in response. Fray flew headlong towards the commander, readying his battle-axe. As if waiting for him to make a move, the Gordanians around his friends immediately surged towards them. Halima gritted her teeth, bouncing up and down as she waited for the opening. She darted towards the closest Gordanian, slashing him in the neck as blood spurted upwards like a fountain. She used his body as a springboard and continued her deadly dance of decapitation. Manu blocked a Gordanian before it could do any harm and Kakra decapitated it as the twins continued their fight in this manner. _

_Kenra bumped herself against the wall, her wings being compressed. She cursed, wondering how she managed to get herself into this position. Her cloak was ripped into ribbons at the bottom, and parts of her mask had already begun to chip away. Soon, the top left of her mask will be broken off. Her sword arm is tingling with pain – the Gordanians must have coated their weapons in poison. She switched her grip on her sword, holding it up in front of her. Her arm shook as her right arm hung limply at her side, having been clawed at by the Gordanians. She flew up as she sheathed her sword, pulling out a small, dark, and round object. She pressed a button and flung it towards the small mass of Gordanians. It hit one of them in the head and they all vaporized within a second. _

Sweat continues to pour down Kenra's face, the scar on her eye pulsating madly. She groans aloud, as the memories continue to pass through relentlessly in her mind. She knows what's going to happen next. And there's not much she can do now, but face the truth.

_The rest of her world crumbling happened next, when she heard the two children screaming nearby where the 5 of them were fighting. She saw them cowering by a building as a Gordanian trudged closer and closer to them. Halima saw it and sprinted over, tossing one of her kamas at the Gordanian effectively stabbing it in the back. She pushed off from the ground, tucked her wings in, and landed on its shoulders. She wrenched the kama from its back as it roared in pain. _

_It lashed out, trying to get her but she cut across its abdomen. It crumpled to the ground instantly. She yelled at the kids to escape as more Gordanians flocked to their area. Kakra and Manu flew up to fight off the ships that were beginning to advance upon the Academy. Fray stayed on the ground, trying to fight off the ground troops. Kenra flew towards Fray to try and assist him, but before she can do so, a Gordanian tackled her to the side. Her shoulder crashed into the wall as her mask slid off her face, rolling away. _

_Her left eye pulsated in pain and she pressed her palm against it, trying to suppress the pain. She cursed, wondering why her eye would be acting up now. She brandished her sword, but the Gordanian laughed at her. She growled at him, and he froze, frightened by her feral gaze. She glared at him with such animosity that he felt as though he were burning up. With him frozen, Kenra took her opportunity and slashed across his abdomen. Blood splattered everywhere, washing her in scarlet rain._

_As his body crumpled to the ground, Kenra used his back as a springboard. She grabbed her mask and headed towards them. She slipped her mask on and froze, her feet beginning to shake. She saw Halima fly up with just her kamas in hand. "No…" she muttered under her breath as Halima threw a kama at an offending Gordanian. More flocked towards her and all she could do was raise her weapons up in defense. "No…Halima…please…" Kenra's knees shook, as they collapsed. She could only sit there, praying that Halima doesn't – _

_Halima released an ear-shattering scream as a Gordanian stabbed her in her wings, electricity coursing through her body. She became momentarily paralyzed, but that was enough. The Gordanians saw the opening and shot her with a concussion blaster. She jerked once and instantly began to fall, her life fleeing from her body. Kenra called her name out in anguish, but in her head, she knew that Halima was dead. And that was a fact. An unforgivable truth. While she sat there in shock and grief, Fray, Manu, and Kakra had already cleared the way. Suddenly, ships flew above them, preparing to shoot at them. _

_Manu yelled something to Fray and the twins flew up, their weapons charged and ready to fight. The twins momentarily split up and tore their way through at least 6 ships before facing the largest of the fleet. Kakra yelled something at Manu and he looked at the ship, using his keen eyes to look for the ship's weakness. From where Kenra was, she could hear their words, however faint it was. "Found it!" he yelled, right as the ship finished charging its weapon. _

_It rolled slowly, pointing at Manu. He froze, surprised to see the weapon point at him. The energy beam flew towards him and Kakra flew in between. "Out of the way!" She shoved him aside and took the brunt of the attack. Her vision blurred, her body felt as if it were on fire. She turned to him, blood spurting out of her mouth and nose and she smiled at him. _

"_Kakra!" Before he could anything, the ship shot at him from behind. He shuddered once, before began to slowly plummet down with Kakra. The twins grabbed onto each other, and charged up their weapons. "Under the weapon…" he murmured. The twins threw their weapons and Kenra sat there numbly, watching the weapons sail under the cannon. It hit its target and the ship immediately exploded, sending rubble flying everywhere. The twins hugged each other as they slowly plummeted downwards. _

_Kenra buried her head in her hands into the ground, tense and waiting for the splattering noise that would accompany the twins when they land. Off in the distance, she heard it. The sickening 'SPLAT' and she immediately began wailing in anger and frustration. Only Fray was left, and this time, she's _not_ losing him. She looked up; her eyes red with the tears rolling down her cheeks. She grabbed her sword, death gripping it. She pushed upwards, flying into the battle with Fray. She's not losing him. She won't._

* * *

Kenra mutters something incoherently as she hears footsteps walking closer to her. "Get up, Thanagarian," a feminine voice says, anger in her voice. Kenra opens her eyes slowly and she sees a girl at least 8 years younger than her standing at her bedside. A bottle of medication is in her hands and she is shaking it, trying to get Kenra's attention. Kenra shoots up and slides her mask on before doing anything else. The girl scoffs. "Please, we're both females. I don't understand why you have to wear a mask when you're in a room with me."

"Then why are you wearing one?" Kenra asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

The girl pauses and pulls it off, long and wavy white hair cascading out from underneath. There is an eye patch over her left eye, and Kenra resists the urge to flinch. So this girl has a scar as well… "Touché, Thanagarian," she mutters, handing the bottle of pills over to Kenra.

"What's this?" she asks, taking the bottle and examining the label, "Metopirone".

"It's a medication for those that keep having memories replaying in their mind…" She pauses, the unspoken "like you" hanging in the air around them. "Daddy wanted me to give this to you. He said that if you keep living in the past, you're not going to be able to fight."

The girl turns around, striding towards the door. "Wait," Kenra calls out. The girl stops, the door half open. "What's your name?"

"You can call me Ravager." She pauses. "Or Rose. Rose Wilson." The girl steps out of the room, closing the door behind her. Kenra examines the bottle, wondering if this supposed substance is really going to suppress the memories of all the deaths. She clutches it, looking at her sword. She stares at her weapon, expecting to see the bloodstains on it. All the blood that came from stabbing at least 100 Gordanians that day. When she had arrived, the first thing she did was clean the sword, making sure the sword doesn't rust because of the dried blood.

Resolute, Kenra places the bottle onto bedside table. If she needs to drink it, then she'll drink it. For now, she'll do everything as it is and wait for another relapse. Her hands grip onto the blanket, her mind replaying the most recent flashback. A knock on the door causes her to stiffen. Wintergreen walks in, rolling a cart of food. "Good morning, Ms. Hol."

"Morning, Wintergreen," she greets. He rolls the cart to her side, setting everything up for her.

"Today, I have your favorite again: scrambled eggs with pancakes, sausages, and bacon." He lifts the cover, steam blowing out and causing Kenra to start drooling. "Master Wilson said that today, he will give you a mission." He steps back, bowing. "Enjoy and good luck later, Ms. Hol."

"Thanks, Wintergreen," she replies, a faint smile on her lips. As soon as he leaves, she begins digging in. Enjoying the flavor of the eggs, sausages, and bacons, she leans back, wondering what the mission will be.

She clenches her fist; finally, her revenge can begin…

* * *

_-Several Hours Later-_

"Ready?"

Kenra clasps on her cloak, clipping her sword to her belt. "Of course I am."

Slade hands her two bags, "One of them is to put the money in. The other one is full of explosives. Your mission is to rob this bank: JP Morgan Chase & Co. Failure, of course, is _not_ an option. I highly doubt you need an explanation as to what will happen should you fail. Remember, make sure you are clearly captured on camera and finish up the robbery with a literal 'bang'. Do not fail me."

Kenra stares him dead in the eye. "I won't."

"You better not. But just to be sure, I'll be letting Rose accompany you. If she decides that you might compromise our mission, she will step in and stop the League. Now, do you know why I want your face to be captured on the cameras?"

"With this mask, I'll look like her. When the police and the League look over the camera, they'll assume that I'm Shayera. When the doubt starts building up, and she's forced to stay home, I'll step in and finish her."

"Exactly. Rose will be nearby to make sure everything goes smoothly. We will both be watching you, Kenra."

"I'm ready when you are," Rose begins, sliding on her mask.

Kenra closes her eyes momentarily, gathering herself. She opens them again, no emotion showing. Her assassin side is here. "Let's go."

The two females walk out of the building, heading straight for part 1 of Slade's "master plan".

* * *

**Unfortunately, Kitsura E. is going to be busy so this chapter is as it is. I tried my best to imitate some parts of her sadism, but if I dove too far, I wouldn't be able to return XD Clearly, everyone has their own writing style, so I highly doubt I'll be able to type like her…for now. Unless I wanna go insane, then I'm not going to :P Although, I think what could help is if something/someone does something to piss me off. Which was why Chapter 3 was rather…violent. Haha. REVIEW :D**


	5. The Bank Robbery

**Le Chappie 5! :P This is "The Fallen Hero" but revamped to match what I have thus far. And I think some parts of this story has a lot of symbolism…Curse you, "Of Mice and Men"…*shakes fist in the air* S-Bumblebee, get started on your part~**

**On with the story!**

* * *

As cars continue to zip down the streets to get to their destination, two dark figures peek out from behind a ledge on the building across JP Morgan Chase & Co. One figure is wearing an orange and navy blue mask covering the top half of her face. The other figure has her cowl pulled over her face, obscuring everything but her jaw.

"I still don't understand why Daddy wanted me to go with you," Rose complains, examining the sharp and gleaming blade of her katana.

Kenra ignores her as she continues to look at the bank, examining it for any open spots to escape if the plan goes awry. "If Wilson wants us to work together…we can't exactly defy him, can we?" she asks, beginning to get annoyed with the mercenary's daughter and her incessant complaints.

"Still, he must think you suck or something. Why else would he want me to come along? Or maybe he's worried your little trips down memory lane would affect you mid-escape," the girl prods.

Kenra lets the insult bounce off of her as she turns to Rose. "Whatever he thinks, if he wants you to come along, then you have to. If he considers me incompetent, then let him think that. I'm only working with him in order to achieve my goal." She stares Rose dead in the eye, and Rose can't help but feel just a bit intimidated. Of course, intimidation on the Ravager usually ends in death.

Rose sneers, resisting the urge to make a snarky comment towards the orphan Thanagarian. Kenra checks the time on her watch, gathering herself. In 10 minutes, the world will see a new villain…

* * *

"Are you sure?" Superman asks, standing in front of a screen. There is a plethora of monitors around it, but the Man of Steel is focused intently on this one.

"Yes, I received this intel from a most trustworthy source. They will rob the bank at 8 PM sharp," comes the reply. The voice sounds notably familiar to the hero, but he disregards it. After all, a bank robbery is much more important than a familiar voice. It's not like this is a prank.

"Alright, thank you for the heads up." With that, he disconnects the conversation. He gathers Flash and Wonder Woman, immediately explaining the situation.

"Are you sure just the 3 of us will be all right? This person might have back up," Wonder Woman warns.

"That's why 4 of us will be going. I'll contact GL on our way there to have him meet up with us." He turns back to the two. "Let's go!"

As the trio head to the teleportation deck, Flash mutters himself, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this...?"

* * *

The calm silence between the two villainesses is destroyed as a shrill beeping emits from Kenra's right wrist. She looks down at the communication device strapped onto her wrist, tapping on it twice. A holographic image of Slade appears, looking at both women. Rose is instantly by Kenra's side, waiting for Slade to say something. "There's been a change in plans. The League knows our plans, so we'll have to alter it to fix this little bump."

Resisting the urge to ask how the League found out, Kenra waits for his orders. "Daddy, why can't we just go with the original plan?"

"They'll be able to see Kenra much easier. The goal is for them to catch _glimpses_ of her. Enough to fool them into thinking it's their beloved Shayera Hol."

"Who's coming?" Kenra asks.

Pictures of the heroes flash behind Slade, allowing the two female villains to recognize each of them. "…Superman. Wonder Woman. Flash. And Green Lantern."

"That many?" Rose asks.

"This _is_ a rather famous bank," Kenra begins. "What do you want us to do, Wilson?"

"This is how it's going to work. I want you to light half of the explosives and toss it down when the heroes appear. The explosion will cause them to be shaken, take the opportunity to rush in, steal the money, and leave. Avoid confrontation if necessary. But, if you must, then do so. Rose will decide whether or not she intervenes or not. The rest of this plan is depending on you, Kenra. Whether we fail or not…that's up to you." With that, the conversation disconnects.

Kenra grabs the two packs, holding them by their straps. "What are you doing?" Rose asks as Kenra stands up. She strides back as Rose sits there, interested. Timing herself, Kenra abruptly darts across. As her right foot touches the ledge, she pushes upward, her left knee jutting upwards as if it is hitting someone in the face. She slowly loses altitude, and her wings unfurl from underneath the cloak. She glides across, relishing in the feel of the cold wind whipping around her. She always loved the feeling. A spark appears in her mind, reminding herself that she has a mission. She _cannot_ afford to make a mistake, or be distracted by memories. Especially being distracted by memories, considering how she seems to have such an episode every few hours. She touches down, nodding to Rose that she is safe. Rose immediately gets into position, pulling on a pair of fake wings and imitating some nearby stone gargoyles on the ledge.

As Rose finishes up, Kenra hides behind her ledge as a streak of red and blue appears alongside a woman dressed in blue, red, and white. Superman and Wonder Woman. Kenra spots a red streak speeding across the river with a glowing green light flying above. Green Lantern and Flash. Kenra ducks down a bit more, using her ears to listen in on the conversation.

"Who even called you to tell you, Supes?" the voice of Flash questions as he looks around for a suspicious shadow.

"I'm not sure, but this is a bank that garners a lot of money. We need to be alert should anything happen."

Kenra's wrist vibrates, indicating a timer going off. She taps the screen once. Time to begin. She lights the fuse, and chucks it over the ledge. As it lands between the heroes, Kenra leaps onto the ledge, ready for the explosion.

"Bomb!" Superman yells, just in time for the other 3 heroes to react. He immediately covers Diana, due to his durability and John created a shield to protect him and Flash. Using the distraction, Kenra jumps off the ledge, tucking her wings in. At the last moment, she expands them and she uses the abrupt altitude to land on Superman and shoves him forward onto Diana. She lands and stomps on his head, also hitting Diana in the process.

Kenra turns to the remaining two and as John lowers the shield, she darts forward punching him in the gut. She glances to her right, seeing Flash down with a bola wrapped around him. Rose must have launched it. She charges into the bank, heading for the designated vault. After incapacitating the two guards, she unsheathes her sword. Activating the electricity mechanism, she slashes three consecutive strikes against the metal. It stood no chance. She swiftly grabs all the money in sight, stuffing them carelessly into the bag.

With her job complete, she walks out. Luckily, Kenra is a cautious woman. As her foot steps over the threshold of the entrance, she instinctively ducks to the side as Superman's fist flies over her head. Her back bumps against the wall, and memories from the final invasion flashes in her mind. She momentarily grimaces, hoping that Rose didn't notice her momentary freeze. As the heroes zero in on her, recognition dawns on Wonder Woman and then Flash. "Shayera?" she asks, her voice cracking in disbelief. Flash staggers a few steps back, as John freezes up, shock evident on his face. Superman hesitates, and that is all Kenra needs to escape. Just as she prepares herself to leap towards Superman, a smoke bomb bounces in between them. Smoke billows out and Kenra realizes that Rose and Slade do _not_ want a confrontation.

Gritting her teeth, she takes off, leaving the heroes behind. As she and Rose leave, the heroes clear out of the smoke with the same question on their mind. "Why is Shayera working with the enemy now?"

* * *

Shayera sits up straight on the couch, a bad feeling beginning to form at the pit of her stomach. Shayera had just finished watching the rerun of Manny Pacquiao's match vs. Juan Manuel Márquez IV, with Marquez taking the win. Shayera had been inwardly seething since John had left to check out some bank robbery in New York. Pacquiao's defeat just made her a lot more irritated when a sudden sense of foreboding swept over her. Her eyes glance left and right constantly, her body stiff with anticipation.

After a few tense moments, she leans back, flicking through the channels. "…Shayera Hol." Shayera freezes, going back to the channel.

"Are you sure it was her?" a dark-skinned reporter asks. In the 2nd screen, a blonde journalist nods. Behind her, the JP Morgan Chase & Co is sealed off with the police caution tape. Shayera can see Superman and the other 3 taking and inspecting the area.

"Yes, based on the camera shots that the police have shown to us, our only guess can be Shayera Hol. We're not sure if she's turned to a life of crime because the Justice League is not commenting. For now, we will just have to get updates as they go along. But we must be careful. After all, Shayera Hol was part of the Thanagarian invasion. She had been the one that-" Shayera refuses to listen any longer, her fist smashing into the wall beside the television. When she pulls it back, web-like cracks are on the wall.

The short-tempered alien flops back down onto her couch, her head buried in her hands as she tries to figure out the cause of what had just occurred. She had been here the entire time, so there's no way. After all, what would be her motive? Shayera decides that she will ask the police that question should they decide to take her in.

_Tap, tap_.

Shayera looks over to the windowpane, seeing a falcon on the windowsill tapping its beak against the glass. Despite her suspicions, Shayera walks over and pushes the window up. The falcon hops in hesitantly and flies onto the coffee table in front of the television. She notices a three-clawed scar on its left eye and a crumpled piece of paper wrapped around her leg. She attempts to grab the slip, but the falcon screeches at her as it begins to fly around the small apartment. "Hey! Don't do that!" she yells at it, trying to catch it.

Eventually, the falcon lands on top of the television. Shayera hesitantly reaches towards it, and this time, the falcon stays in place for her to grab the slip. As the slip slides onto her hand, she examines the scar more, wondering who would be so cruel to injure a bird like this. The falcon takes off, landing on the couch besides Shayera as she unfurls the slip of paper.

Her eyes widen as she feels her heart tighten in fear and worry. Her hands shake as the small and torn slip of paper slides out of her grasp. The falcon instinctively realizes that its work is done. It flies out of the window as Shayera leans back, silent tears streaming down her face. On the sheet of paper is a sentence. A sentence that Shayera had seen many years ago when she was still on Thanagar. A sentence that had meant nothing to her…until now.

"_The honor of the Hol house will be continued in your stead. For the Empire."_

* * *

"Why didn't you let me confront them?" Kenra asks, her temper beginning to flare. Rose is running on the rooftops as Kenra flies above her, with Rose holding onto the bag of money.

"If you confronted them, you would have had no chance. It was you against 4 of the 7 founding members of the League. Even if I jumped in to help you, the two of us would have stood no chance," Rose reasons.

"Don't you and your dad do that all the time? What makes me any different from you?" Kenra growls. Rose hesitantly meets the Thanagarian's unnerving gaze. Since Rose had first watched her train with her father, she had noticed that Kenra walked a very thin line between calm and all-out anger. She had assumed that her father knew, but he was either oblivious or intentionally pushing Kenra towards the edge. Rose pauses her thoughts as she leaps across to the next building as Kenra continues to mutter darkly under her breath.

"Look, you can just ask Daddy when we come back. He'd been watching and _he_ was the one that decided that we retreat," Rose defends.

"Fine," Kenra grunts. She clenches her fist as screams begin to fill in her head. She forcibly blocks out the memories as they arrive at their hideout. Kenra descends, shaking her head slowly as Rose frowns at her movement.

"What, having memories again? I thought you would've gotten over them already," Rose mocks her, putting a hand on her hip. Kenra glares at her, not even bothering to answer. She walks past Rose and enters the hideout. Rose stiffens. Some random Thanagarian that had just crash-landed a few days ago is already giving her attitude? Anger starts to well up in Rose, but she calmly breathes. Soon, this girl will get her revenge and then she'll leave her and her father alone. She'll be able to do whatever crime she wants. And she'll have Kenra to thank. She sighs, "At least there's still that…"

Kenra kicks the door open, striding down the hallway towards Slade's room. She is fuming beyond words. 4 heroes that are connected to her sister standing right there, and she had the upper hand. She could have killed one of them and then left. But _no_, the mercenary's stupid daughter, the Ravager, wanted her to fall back. Kenra's rage peaks and her fist flies out, crushing the wall adjacent to her. She exhales sharply, her face contorted in rage. Her fist leaves the indent as the plaster begins to crack and break around the hole.

"I'll get my chance…I just have to be patient…" she mutters to herself.

She tenses up when she hears two sets of footsteps behind her. "Ms. Hol, are you heading to Master Wilson?" Kenra visibly relaxes and turns around, facing Wintergreen and Rose.

Her mask is off, showing her lean face and the white eye patch on her left eye. Kenra makes a mental note to ask about the wound later. Kenra nods as Rose grimaces, looking at the wall. "Was that you?" she asks.

Kenra glances at the wall, shrugging. "So? With the money that I just risked my life for, we'll be able to repair it."

"You don't know that! What if Daddy wants us to use the money for something more important than a hole in the wall that _you_ made?"

Kenra bristles at Rose's accusation. Before she can make a retort, Wintergreen steps in between the two. "Now, now, ladies. Sheathe your claws, and let us go talk to Master Wilson. We'll know his decision after the report, all right?" he placates, clapping his hands together. The two females glare at each other, sparks practically erupting around them. Eventually, the two look away simultaneously as they follow Wintergreen to Slade's room.

Wintergreen knocks once, hearing a gruff "Enter." He opens the door and the two women walk past him, matching each other's stride. Kenra takes the bag from Rose and tosses it over to Slade's feet.

"There, you got your money. Now can I go look for her?" Kenra asks.

Slade strides into view, taking the bag. "And why would I let you do that?"

"We've got the money. We should be able to continue on with the next part of your 'master plan'."

"We'll let you get what you want, Kenra. But we have to take this slowly; otherwise, it'll blow up in all of our faces. Besides, you still need to train."

"I've done enough training, Wilson. At least let me have a break, then. I just went and risked my life to get your stupid money." With that said, Kenra wheels around.

"And where are you going, exactly?" Slade asks, crossing his arms.

"Out. I would like to see what Earth is like." She shrugs. "Even assassins deserve a break." She shuts the door behind her, heading straight for her room. She stares at the empty cage on the desk by the window, and she sees a bird flying towards her. She pushes the window open, allowing the falcon to land in the cage. The falcon has a dead mouse in its beak and she notices the absence of the slip of paper on its leg.

"Good job," she whispers to it, stroking it softly on the head. It drops the dead mouse and begins to devour it. Kenra fills up the beaker with water before changing into new clothes. She grabs a black overcoat, wrapping it around her body to cover her wings. She changes into a pair of dark jeans and boots. She reluctantly removes her mask, feeling uncomfortable. She would never allow civilians to see her face, but she has no choice. She can't afford to be caught by League members or police. She notices a red hat at the bottom of the closet and she picks it up, placing it on her head. After checking herself in the mirror, she heads out.

Hey, even assassins need a break once in a while.

* * *

**Lefty: Well, the part after the bank robbery was more or less a little filler to lead up to the next chapter. Loki's Son, unfortunately, there will be a flashback in the next chapter. I still have two more flashbacks that I have planned out. Anymore that shows up after those two will probably be unintentional. **

**May: But this is how we're going to make sure Kenra is fully developed, rather than make her a one-sided Mary Sue. Also, S-Bumblebee, we're going to need your part of the flashback for the next chapter. **

**Lefty: Also, this is a little paragraph that I need to say in memory of those 20-some people that lost their lives to a crazy 20-year old shooter on Friday in Connecticut. There is language because I was rather emotional…*ahem***

**I really hope that the son of a bitch that decided to kill some innocent kids that aren't even old enough to multiply and divide rots in hell or reincarnates into some ugly piece of shit/bug that we can crush and destroy. I hope that the son of a bitch is happy. He just killed 18 kids that will never see what their parents bought for them that were placed under the Christmas tree or get to be the astronaut or doctor that they wanted to be. I hope this son of a bitch is satisfied that many parents will be sitting in front of the Christmas tree mourning and looking at the gifts they bought for their kids instead of smiles on their faces as their children light up from seeing that they got what they wanted...I hope that the parents will be able to move on from this tragedy. 18 kids just lost their lives to some fucked up jackass that thought it was probably funny to walk onto an elemantary school and shoot around. 18 kids will never see their future, they'll never experience the first heartbreak, the first date, the first crush, their first child...**

**I hope that these kinds of people will just die and not take so many lives with them...**

**Rest in peace, little ones... :'(**


	6. Falcon

**I can't believe I've updated so quickly within a month. Sweet! Just saying, the rapidness of the updates may dwindle because of school and clubs and tennis and school… OTL Even though I have Winter Break for the next two weeks XP**

**Anyways, I collaborated with S-Bumblebee in this chapter and you'll notice the difference very quickly XD Also, I don't know how Thanagar runs their Academy, so I'm just going to go with my gut instinct and do it as it is…**

**On with the story!**

* * *

For the second time this night, Shayera hears a tap at the window. The unimposing sound send her startled to her feet, wings drawn in and feathers ruffled, the piece of paper still clutched tightly in her talon-like hand. Her nerves settle when she sees that John Stewart is the culprit, the emerald hue of his ring holding him suspended by the pane of glass. Without hesitation, she moves to the window and hoists it up with a practiced move.

"John!"

"I don't want to hear it Shayera." His voice is heavy and thick and his eyes dart about the room as if he is looking for something.

It suddenly strikes her that John seems to think she had been the one to rob the bank, that she had been the one on the news…how could he think such a thing?

"Wait, John…" Her voice is now just as laced as his but hers is swamped in disbelief and mild desperation. How many more times must she prove her loyalty to the League and him…him of all people who knows her best. "You don't seriously think that was me do you?"

He flips around, eyes glowing bright with his anger as an accusing hand wildly gestures in an arc around him. "What do you expect me to think, Shayera?" He glares at her hotly. "It wouldn't be the first time you've broken our trust.

Her initial anxiety diminishes as it is outshone by her rage; how dare he accuse her when he knows better. It feels as though he had slapped her across the face.

"Get out of here!" She shouts, her voice easily gaining volume as it always did in the heat of battle.

"Not until you tell me what the hell you're doing!" He is in her face, right up in her grill, accusing her, rejecting her, making her feel smaller with every breath she took.

Shayera shoves him away with her palms, one hand still gripping the paper the falcon had delivered to her. "I don't have to tell you anything." She declares.

"Shayera, you can't just-"

"Can't just what, John? Tell you that I had nothing to do with that robbery and that I was here the whole time watching a boxing match…of course not, that would be too hard to believe."

John does a double take as he catches a glimpse of the television behind her and the loose jogging bottoms and casual strap top she had on. He realizes that there was no way she could have beat him back here, she was fast but the ring made him faster, that and she'd never have time to change and hide her ill-gotten gains.

He takes a deep breath and allows his anger and fear to slide away. What was it about this woman that made him feel every emotion in the spectrum within a heartbeat?

"Shayera…what is going on?" His voice is calmer now, softer. Shayera seems to react positively to the change of tone as the anger falls from her eyes.

"I don't know." She replies nervously. "A falcon delivered this." She hands him the paper and watches him read the single solitary line.

"What is this?" He asked bewildered.

She sighs and lowers her eyes as she pushes her errant hair from her face "It's the message I received the day my parents died."

* * *

_The day had finally come._

_Shayera Hol stood within the grand hall of the Elders, the oldest and wisest of their race, and slowly cast her eyes around the sights before her. Never before in her young life had she stepped within these halls and never before had she felt so small. The grand ceilings were high and richly decorated with runes and broken images, the years having worn them down and the battles having chipped them away. Shayera remained awestruck by the size and sight of the grand ceiling until she was startled from her reverie, her rank and runes having been called out._

_As it were she was stood amongst a crowd, every one of them having just passed basic training and were prepared for the next stage in their militant education. Like the others she had been looking forward to this moment her whole life, she was going to join the Hark'nvesh, her life's dream since she learned to fly. At the call of her runes she stepped forward and pushed her way through the bursting crowd, normally they were much more organized but on this occasion the halls were cramped. Besides her own group, there were several others spaced around, one of them in particular seemed to hold all of the youngest of their population. She glanced to them mildly as she walked past towards her destination, they were very young indeed. They had probably been left in the shelters by their parents or dumped in the academy. It reminded her of her own parents and the knowledge that they had left her here more than four years ago. She held her chin up. _

_"This way." The Elite Guard nudged her slightly with his looming spear. He was a huge bulk of a Thanagarian and was encased in the finest armor she had ever seen. The Elite Guard were composed of Thanagar's best, and were few in number, their only role to protect and defend the Elders at all costs. _

_Obediently, she stepped forward and continued to walk on as his heavy footfalls followed her. She could sense from his weight alone and the armor he carried that he wouldn't fare well in an aerial battle, but that was why they were armed with Great Spears. Their extended reach alone was enough to hold any enemy at bay whether on the ground or in the air. _

_At last Shayera reached the chamber of the Elders; a great door was before her that seemed too heavy to move. The two Elite Guards, not including the one that followed her, pushed it open without breaking a sweat, and Shayera walked inside. _

_The room was threatening and intimidating but Shayera had long ago lost her sense of fear, having had it beaten out of her during her relentless training. _

_Fear was for the weak. _

_Before her, many meters away, were the Elders. They led their race from a distance and had never in Shayera's lifetime, nor that of her parents, joined in battle. Despite this though, stories of them were legendary. The largest and oldest was said to have snapped the neck of a full grown Gordanian bull with his bare hands. _

_"Name."_

_She wasn't sure which one had spoken but his voice boomed and bounced all around her, almost compressing her and making her feel as small as she likely was before the greatest of her people. _

_"Private Shayera Hol." She answered mechanically, eyes level, shoulders back, wings closed. _

_One of the Elders seemed to hum in acknowledgement._

_"A Hol?" He paused before continuing, a clawed hand raking through his long grey beard. "Good Stock." He muttered to one beside him who sat with the only War Hammer Shayera had ever seen. The weapon had been phased out of their battle culture years ago for its clumsy nature but she didn't doubt for a second that in his hands, it was a truly terrifying weapon. _

_There was further murmuring as they took her into their consideration and talked amongst themselves. They had been informed of each cadet and their skills and abilities before her arrival. Everything they were about to tell her had long already been decided upon. Shayera only hoped that she would receive the answer she wanted when they asked her their inevitable question. _

_"Which militant division do you wish to contribute to, young Hol?"_

_Every Cadet was given the chance to choose. At least that's what they had them believe. Again, their choice had long been made before this very moment. _

_"The Harkn'vesh." Shayera said quickly, she was so close. Only a few syllables away and she could begin training with the best fliers of their people. She shivered in repressed excitement._

_They eyed her carefully and were silent a long time as if they hadn't been expecting her answer. And then the silence was broken, a voice splitting through it like the crack of a plasma cannon. _

_"Your request to join the Harkn'vesh is denied." Shayera took in a sharp breath, their words cutting through her like an electrified sword and her dream shattered. She hardly heard their next words. "Your characteristics are better suited to other areas."_

_At that instant her mind flashed through the other military divisions that were on offer, but none of them remotely triggered her interest. Shayera had had everything set on joining the Elite Flying Squads and to have been denied left her deeply unsettled. What was she to do now? Despite her inner turmoil however, she did not question their verdict. She could no more argue with them than she could a Gordanian, there would be no compromise. _

_"You will join the ranks of the Espionage wing."_

_Unwittingly she raised an eyebrow. Espionage was perhaps the youngest branch of the military to date, younger even than the Elite Weapons division or even the Assassins. _

_Left momentarily stunned, she didn't answer them. She stood fused to the spot as if she hadn't an idea where she was. It wasn't until the Great War Hammer scraped across the ground that Shayera shook herself back to her senses. She didn't utter a word; she knew she could never change their minds and that she was simply 'stock' for the army and nothing more. Before excusing herself she pressed her gloved fist to her armored breastplate as was respected practice, and left without a word, her Father's mace dangling at her waist and gently knocking her knee as she walked. _

_Past the highly decorated doorway and past the ominous Elite Guards, Shayera spied the group of cadets she had arrived with, Cadet Paran Dul walking towards her for her own verdict. Shayera didn't have to think hard to know where they would put her. She was one of the most scientifically intelligent of their graduation and she would be placed in that field without question. Fighting wasn't her strongest skill. Shayera simply walked by her without casting even a glance, the two never having seen eye to eye ever since they first met in the academy the morning after her parents left her there._

_Wanting time alone Shayera decided that she would not linger with the rest of her comrades, instead she would return to her barracks and prepare her things for transportation to the Espionage Wing Division. As she walked through the crowds a messenger approached her and addressed her by her military rank and runes as was practice. Names were rarely used. Nodding her head to confirm her identity, he handed her a slip of paper that didn't seem out of the ordinary. Afterward he left her without uttering another word. Curious she unfolded the paper and read what was before her, eyes reading and re-reading the runes on the paper. _

_Her parents were dead, killed in battle as they fought to regain territory from the Gordanians. _

_'The honor of the Hol house will be continued in your stead. For the Empire.' _

_A frown marred her features although no one else could see thanks to her helmet. She wasn't sure how she felt about this, she hadn't known her parents very well and they were more like close strangers. She knew enough but not enough to feel as though she had lost anything. _

_As she folded the paper and slipped it into her armor, Shayera spotted the same group of young Thanagarians with panicked looks on their faces. Down the long hallway, she saw 4 burly Thanagarians sprinting towards them with someone lying down on a stretcher. "Out of the way! She's still breathing!" One of them yelled._

_The 4 ran past Shayera as she glimpsed at the person on the stretcher. There was dark smudges layered upon her arms and her cheeks, her pants were slightly torn, and Shayera could tell that the young Thanagarian was on the precipice of life and death. There was something about the child and her mask, something about her appearance that struck Shayera as odd. She had seen several such incidents where the child had their home destroyed and barely survived, being carted off to the medical wing and then the "Orphan Room." But this person seemed unusual._

_Shayera Hol couldn't put her finger on it but the young woman on the stretcher seemed terribly familiar, something that struck Shayera as odd. She sifted her memory for someone who fit the likeness of the one she saw but although she could detect something, she couldn't pinpoint what the something was. The 4 male Thanagarians left the hallway and Shayera was shaken from her thoughts. After all it wasn't like she knew who she was. _

_She took a deep breath. Without looking back, Shayera Hol left the Great Halls of the Elders having entered as a graduated cadet and left as a recruit of the Espionage Division._

* * *

"So what you're saying is...that kid you saw being carried off to the medical wing was…someone you knew?" John asks, carrying the two cups of coffee and placing them down onto the table with a faint tap.

"At the moment, I wasn't sure who it was. I mean, like I said, I found it strange that the person looked so familiar. Now that I received this letter, I know who it is now," Shayera mutters, her head in her hands. To John, her voice sounded defeated, as if she resigned herself to fate.

"Who was it?" John asks as a cold hand clutches his heart. Her next few words could spiral everything out of control.

Shayera takes a deep, shaky breath.

"It was my sister."

* * *

A child catches a baseball in the park as his friends spread out, playing catch. Kenra stands under a nearby tree, watching them with a slight smile. The shade from the tree allows her to slightly blend in as the leaves rustle above her. It is noon now in _Blüdhaven_ and Kenra had been wandering the streets of the town since early morning. Slade had forced her to stay in for a bit longer and rest for "a job well done." He was probably trying to get on her good side. She finally decided to stop and relax at the park as children and their families gathered at the park.

The chilly wind wraps around her, causing her to shiver uncontrollably. It is winter, after all. She refuses to move, however, for she wants to watch the 5 children playing catch. Memories of times when she played with her friends flit across her mind as she recalls how she met each of them.

She had met Halima when she had first appeared in their basic training. According to the supervisors, her skills were deemed good enough to skip a year of basic training. But that's what happens when you're the child of two highly-ranked soldiers in the army. Even higher ranked than Kenra's own mother and father. Halima had been distant to everyone in the class, believing that they were beneath her. Kenra still found it hard to believe that under that shell, there was a girl that strived for acceptance. Acceptance, rather than expectations. The 4 friends had been the only ones to realize that the genius was lonely, having no one to enjoy their time with her. Everyone envied her genes, but not Kenra, Kakra, Manu, nor Fray. When the 4 of them first asked her to join them in a game, Kenra noticed that the young girl had wanted to break down into tears.

Kenra smiles at the memory, remembering how Halima had changed dramatically after that day.

She had met the twins a year after she was recovered from the rubble of her home. At that time, she was serious about her graduation for her parents' sake and she encountered Kakra in the library. The two began talking, sitting on a desk with piles of books stacked beside them. Kakra had been studying for upcoming exams while Kenra had just intended to study for every class. Manu had stumbled onto them, crashing into their mountain and effectively burying the trio in books. The three were "politely" asked to leave and the moment they stepped foot out of the library, Kakra immediately smacked her younger twin brother upside the head. As Manu rubbed his head in pain, Kakra formally introduced him to her. Manu was the one that would always get into trouble, and Kakra would have to bail him out. Manu hated going to the Academy, believing that the point of war was useless. Kakra wanted to just make their parents proud so they had no choice. The two would always be there to greet her and make her smile, Kakra with her logistics and stories, Manu with his laziness and attitude.

She sighs sadly, wishing that they were all still here. As the children leave, she walks over to the playground, sitting down on a swing. A couple feet away, she sees a couple and their child walking towards the playground. The mother and father are holding onto the small toddler's hands as they head towards the swings. Kenra hesitantly leaves, feeling the father's gaze on her back.

As she walks down the path towards a nearby coffee shop, she recalls meeting Fray for the first time. She had just been recovered from the rubble of her old home…

* * *

_Kenra winced, feeling people lift her out of the rubble. She could hear the constant hustle and bustle as more Thanagarians gathered to search for her mother and father. Her eyes fluttered open, seeing them pull out her parents from the rubble. Her mother's neck flopped to the side, broken as her eyes are opened unseeing. Her arms lie in twisted angles, and blood was all over her body. Her father took the brunt of the collapse, his wings crushed flat. His injuries didn't seem as bad as her mother's, but the moment his wings were hit, his fate was equally sealed. After all, the wings are the weakest points of a Thanagarian. She closed her eyes again as she felt her body floating up in the air. _

"_She's still breathing! We have to take her to the Academy!" One of them yelled. She blacked out._

_Her ears picked up constant murmuring, fear laced in with them. She felt herself being let down onto the cold, marble ground as she involuntarily shivered. Her arm twitched and her eyes open out of reflexive pain, gasping. She sat up, causing a few child Thanagarians inspecting her to leap back in surprise. Pain shot up her spine as she inspected the extent of her injuries. _

_She had a cast on her left leg and her right arm was in a sling. There were a few butterfly bandages on her face and her left arm. Her right leg was the only uninjured part of her body as she felt pain in her ribcage. It was most likely bruised from the rubble collapsing onto her. _

_A hand waved itself in front of her eyes and she blinked in surprise. "Hey, are you ok?" a male child asked. She hesitantly looked at him, her voice refusing to say anything. She didn't know what to say so she looked back down, avoiding his gaze. "Come on, I'm trying to help you here, but I'm not gonna be able to if you don't want to talk to me. I mean, the Elders are gonna wanna talk to you and I just wanted to prep you for it," he warned._

_She hesitantly met his gaze again, fear welling up inside of her. The Elders were going to ask her about her side of the story and whether or not she felt ready to join the Academy yet. She heard that the way they asked the questions were brutal and she knew she wasn't ready to even answer them. _

"_What's your name?"_

"_K-Kenra," she muttered under her breath._

"_What was that?" _

_Kenra muttered her name under her breath again, and this time, the boy began to show irritation. _

"_Come on! I can't hear you! If you're a Thanagarian, you should be yelling your name out to me! I don't understand why you're so scared!" He shook her and she gritted her teeth, a flame igniting in her eyes._

_She shoved him away with her cast, ignoring the pain. "Leave me alone!" she exclaimed. He stumbled and fell onto his butt, staring at her in surprise and…was that satisfaction?_

_As he pushed himself up, Kenra spotted a faint grin on his face. "Much better. Now if I could just get your name," he joked. _

_She slowly stood up, ignoring the stabbing pains spreading throughout her body and stumbled to a nearby chair. As she sat there, her eyes swiftly shifted around the room looking at all the children. They were scattered around the imposing room, each hunched over and weeping silently about their parents' death. Kenra blinked back the tears that threatened to spill out. She refused to show weakness, especially in front of this stranger. _

_Suddenly, the large, golden-hued door slowly swung open as the 5 strongest and oldest Thanagarians enter the room. Everything became silent as the Thanagarian Elders entered the room, their gazes sweeping over every orphan in their presence._

"_We are looking for Kenra Hol," one of them spoke up, which one Kenra did not know. However, his voice boomed throughout the entire room, making all those present cower in fear. Kenra shakily raised her hand, feeling her entire body tremble._

_The Elders immediately zero in on her and she flinched at their unnerving gaze. "We have some questions to ask of you," another spoke up, the one carrying a large battle axe. _

_She stood up, expecting for them to lead her out but the one in the far back of the 5 barked, "Sit down!" She meekly collapsed onto the chair, every fiber in her body screaming to run away from these 5 imposing men. _

"_We will be asking you the questions right here. There is no need to take an adolescent to our chambers," another spoke up. Kenra's eyes darted to and fro, praying that someone would come to rescue her from this interrogation. Her mind wasn't ready to accept her parents' deaths yet, and their poking and prodding will only cause her to break down. _

"_You are Kenra Hol, daughter of General and Lieutenant-General Hol, yes?" She meekly nodded, not meeting their gaze._

"_Your elder sister is Shayera Hol, a new student of the Espionage, correct?" Another asked. She looked up, wondering about that._

"_I-I'm not s-sure what her new p-post is," she stammered. "But…yes, Shayera is my s-sister," she added as an afterthought._

_3 of the Elders frowned and she took it as a bad sign, feeling herself sink lower onto her chair. "Your parents were killed when a stray shot from the Gordanians destroyed the Hol home, is that right? Your parents didn't fight to the bitter end for the Empire? They chose to both come home for you, and died trying to protect you. Is that correct?" Another questioned, his face contorted into a sneer. _

_Kenra leaned against the chair, hoping that she could escape these questions. Tears welled up in her eyes again as the 5 Elders continued badgering her with questions. She prayed again for someone to step in and stop them. She didn't expect them to be this brutal._

_Help came from an unexpected source._

"_I don't think anyone, not just children, would want to answer these kinds of questions, sir. Could you at least ask them a bit more nicely instead of being so blunt?" the boy asked, stepping between Kenra and the Elders. _

"_And who are you, child?" the one with the battle axe questioned, frowning._

"_My name's Fray Katal. I was put into this Orphan Room a day before this girl appeared. But, enough about me. Would it hurt you to not ask questions so directly? She just survived being crushed by rubble and her parents were killed in front of her eyes. At least let her accept it before asking her questions."_

"_Be quiet, you fool! Thanagarians are to be strong; they shouldn't falter just because of a parent's death!" The Elder that had spoken up grabbed Fray by his shirt. _

"_Still, she just got released from the medical bay and you're already questioning her. What about all the other kids in here that want to get out of here?"_

"_You insolent-"_

_Another Elder stepped in as more children began taking in the scene. "Stop it, we'll just teach everyone a lesson. I have an idea."_

_A chill ran up Kenra's spine as she expected something to happen to her. The Elder holding Fray dropped him onto the floor, and he caught himself. He stood defiantly in front of the Elders, daring them to make their next move. "Children, no, Thanagarians that disrespect Elders don't deserve a mask!" With that, the Elder grabbed Fray's mask and ripped it off his face, revealing short and wind-swept black hair and sea-blue eyes. _

_Time froze as all the children blinked in disbelief. Thanagarians being unmasked in public like that were considered a disgrace. Fray stumbled back; his head almost bumping into Kenra's cast. The Elder holding his mask dropped it at Fray's feet. "Let that be a lesson to you." He looked at Kenra. "You two will receive your dormitory numbers within the next 2 hours. We will allow 24 hours for you to accommodate yourself, and then, you will begin your basic training. We will send someone to help you with directions." With that, the 5 Elders filed out of the room._

_As soon as the doors closed shut behind them, Fray sat up with a grin on his face. "I totally showed them," he boasted, sliding his mask back on. He turned back to Kenra. "Feeling better?"_

_Kenra stared at him in disbelief. Wasn't he scared that the Elders might come back and kick him out of the Academy? Wasn't he worried that he'll shame his deceased parents? She glared at him, anger welling up in her. "Aren't you worried?" she blurted out, her anger spilling out._

_His grin did not disappear. "About what?"_

"_That you'll be considered a disgrace in your family! They could come back and decide that you're not worth their time! You could be kicked out and placed into the slums, without any knowledge of how to defend yourself from the Gordanians!"_

_His grin faltered as a serious look occupied his face now. "I've been in the slums for as long as I can remember. I know how to defend myself, and I chose to attend the Academy to help others. I know what I'm doing, so you don't have to worry about me. But, I couldn't hold back when I saw them picking on you. After all, you were just uncovered from a bunch of rubble as your parents were being carted off to the morgue. Then, they decide to interrogate you for no reason. I'm sorry, but that was wrong of them to do that. You understand now, don't you, Kenny?"_

_She looked up, surprised at the nickname. "What?"_

"_What, I can't give you a nickname? I mean, come on! Kenra seems too uptight, but Kenny makes you seem a lot more loose and relaxed! Right?" His trademark childish grin came back and Kenra couldn't help but smile. _

_Her first real smile in a long time. "Yeah!"_

* * *

Kenra enters the coffee shop, the musky smell of the roasted coffee beans wafting towards her. She inhales in with a slight smile. When she had first tried it with her breakfast, she loved it instantly. As she waits in line, she feels all of the customers staring at her as though she's some new being that they have never seen before. She ignores them, continuing to stare ahead.

"What would you like, ma'am?" the cashier asks once Kenra reaches the counter.

"I'd like a caramel Frappuccino," she requests, after searching for her desired drink.

They give her the receipt after she pays for the drink, and she steps aside, allowing other customers to order. Her eyes focus onto a group of men in the corner of the shop, their lecherous gazes on her. She pulls her cap lower, hiding her scar and heterochromic eyes.

Hearing her number, she hands the cashier the receipt and briskly walks out of the coffee shop, her Frappuccino in hand. She rounds the corner and enters an alleyway, her shoes crackling on the gravel. Her body is tense, waiting for a-

"Give us your money, bitch." She smirks mischievously. Ah, just in time.

She calmly takes a sip of her coffee, counting down in her head. 3, 2, 1…

"Did you fucking hear him?" a second man asks.

She faces them again, taking another sip of coffee. "I don't have any money on me," she says innocently.

"We just saw you paying for that coffee! Don't you start the dumb bitch act on us now!" the third man threatens. Kenra spots a glint of steel in his pocket and her eyes narrow, her scar becoming more prominent. The 3rd man in the back notices the scar and takes a few steps back in fear. Kenra smirks, she had been taught that there will always be a chink in the armor, emotionally or physically.

"Yeah well, that was all the money I had on me. I don't have anymore." The leader strides towards her, attempting to grab her by the shirt. She ducks under him and starts walking towards the two lackeys, aiming for the cowardly one in the back. "Scared of me, buddy?" she asks, staring straight into the man's ash-gray eyes. She is about two inches taller than him, but her glare causes him to shrink down to the ground more. The male to her left attempts to grab her, but she dodges again. This time, she sidesteps and wraps her right arm around the 3rd man, her coffee still clutched in her left.

"Let him go!" the leader demands.

"Uh-uh. You just tried to rob me and now you want me to let you go? That's some messed up logic, pal." She stomps on her captive's foot, causing him to yelp in pain. "Look, I could kill him right now if I wanted to. But I won't, out of the goodness of my heart. But if we cross paths and you attempt anything, I won't hesitate next time." She releases her hostage, kicking him onto the ground.

The leader's face turns red and stomps towards her, pulling out his knife. He charges at her, but she calmly grabs his hand and applies pressure. He yelps in pain as his knife drops with a clatter. As he recoils in pain, she knees him in the gut and she releases his wrist as he crumples to the ground in pain. The 2nd man speaks up, fear evident in his voice, "Our boss will take care of you!"

"Really?" She chuckles, walking out of the alleyway. "Well, tell your boss that he shouldn't try anything. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't like to face Deathstroke the Terminator or the Ravager." She smirks, turning back just in time to see their faces go ghost-pale. She takes the last sip of her Frappuccino and takes off her overcoat, ignoring the biting wind.

"Who the hell are you?!" the leader asks, clutching his wrist in pain.

Her wings flare out as she speaks up, "Call me…_Falcon_."

* * *

**Lefty: Not much to say. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be put up. With luck, it'll be next week. If not…well, you'll just have to be patient. Also, gratitude to S-Bumblebee for Shayera's part of the memory. Also, Shayera's note stated that her parents were killed trying to regain territory. I didn't want to change it, because I wanted to show that Shayera always assumed that her parents fought in the war. Not rescuing her younger sister. So Shayera won't remember Kenra...until now, that is.**

**May: And Merry Christmas to you all.**

**Lefty: Yeah ^_^ Albeit, it's Christmas Eve, but whatever. Merry Christmas! Go out, do something nice, check out S-Bumblebee's and Loki's Son's stories, enjoy it. Exercise and all that nonsense, haha.**

**See ya next time ^_^**


	7. Mind Blown

**Confrontation time and we go to the scenario that I originally had planned out before my momentary hiatus on this story. And after a little mistake that I made in the previous chapter (I fixed it so don't worry), I've decided to show the time and location of where the story is taking place. It's used as a note for me and also information for you readers. And some villains are based off of either the Teen Titans cartoon, the Justice League cartoon (well, duh), or Loki's Son's series.**

* * *

**Time: 1700 hours EST**

**Location: Blüdhaven, New York**

"Daddy, they're on the move," Rose reports, staring at a screen. Slade lazily looks up from the newspaper, and frowns under his mask.

"Well, then I suppose we'll just have to move our plans along a bit faster. It's a good thing, regardless, since I was getting rather impatient with seeing who would come and look for her first."

"Do they know that she's-"

"No, they will most likely target her sister. If it's who I think it is, then Kenra can handle them. Killing one of them would be even better. After all, Kenra knows how to implicate someone else of a crime."

"Almost like a natural," Rose mutters, almost envious at how Kenra can easily do most of the assignments that her Daddy gave her.

"Are you spiteful, Rose?"

"No. I'm just worried that this could come back to bite us in the butt. Aren't you worried that she could frame _us_ for the crime?"

"There would be no reason for her to do that. Don't forget that she's after her sister, not us."

Rose nods absently, still wondering about the possible consequences that could come out of this. "When do we begin, Daddy?"

"We let them find her sister, and at the proper moment, we'll tell her. After that, what she does to them is up to her. We'll just be there to collect the spoils. She doesn't even realize that we're using her as a catalyst for something much greater." Slade pauses, a smirk on his face. "What do you know? One soldier _can_ affect the outcome of a war…"

* * *

**Time: 1845 hours EST**

**Location: Detroit, Michigan**

Shayera pushes the window up, climbing out and flying up onto the rooftop where she and John had set up two beach chairs to lie down on at night. John had left to tell Superman Shayera's story and see if the League will be able to do anything in terms of searching for her sister. Shayera lies down, her mind wandering to her conversation with John. He had been rather shocked that she even has a sister, considering how she's only mentioned her mother and father before.

"How could I forget her…?" she mutters to herself, looking at the stars. It's just not the same without John there to tell her the constellations' names. The first two years of basic training, Shayera could still recall the two of them playing together in their home and in the fields adjacent. 3rd year, she could only recall holding a small, newborn baby in her arms at one of the hospitals. After that, she could only remember her most recent grade in Weaponry or the latest student she was partnered up with for an assignment.

Her ears twitch abruptly and she sits up, looking for John's green light. After looking around, she flies up to inspect the area. Instinctively, her body is tense, ready for a battle. As nothing happens for a few minutes, she visibly relaxes and begins to descend.

It's probably just her paranoia causing her to be so wound up. "It's probably noth-"

The wind is knocked out of her as someone barrels into her, wrapping their burly arms around her abdomen as she and her assailant crashes onto the building across. Her face scrapes against the cement as she grits her teeth, attempting to free her arms out of her assailant's grip. As the two slow down, Shayera taps into her strength and frees herself. She rolls away, rubbing her face free of any gravel sticking to her face.

The assailant is large and muscular, with a wild mane of brown hair. His uniform consists of a sleeveless black unitard with a yellow pattern going across his costume, and the patterns have circles sticking out. He wears wristbands and shoes with the same pattern. A perpetual grin is on his face as he slams his fist into his hand. "You that Hawkgirl, right?" he questions in a gruff voice.

Shayera frowns, wondering what Mammoth would want. Last she checked, Mammoth was a villain of the Teen Titans. And yet, here he is, ready for battle against her. "I don't go by that name anymore," she growls, poised for his next attack.

Suddenly, a voice speaks up, high and nasal with a hint of irritation. "Of course you don't, you stupid hawk-face!" Shayera turns her head around, seeing a bald, pint-sized teen wearing a dark green one-piece with shoes built in flying via jetpack. He has a gray appliance in the middle of his chest and green goggles on his head.

Shayera begins to back up, bumping into the ledge. This isn't good. It's already bad enough that she has to fight off Mammoth, but if Gizmo is here…then-

The floor below her heaves as the large water pipes wrap around her body. She struggles to free herself as a new figure appears behind Mammoth. She has short, red hair and green eyes, the right side of her head bald. "Shimmer too? What does the Fearsome Five want with me?" Shayera asks.

If only she had some sort of way to alert someone from the League, she'd be fine. "Well, there is a new villain in town and rumor has it that you are in _very_ close relation to them," Psimon begins, pushing his cloak back to reveal his glass-cased dome that protects his brain.

"And where'd you get that idea?" Shayera questions, hoping that the civilians down below don't inspect the damage.

The pipes tighten and she releases an uncontrollable groan in pain, her wings being crushed. Her legs shake in pain, but she refuses to give them the pleasure of seeing her struggling. "Let's just say we got news about it from a little birdy," Psimon answers knowingly.

Shayera attempts to push her arms outwards, hoping that it would make the pipes release her. However, Shimmer notices and closes her fist, causing the pipes to tighten even more. Shayera's legs buckle as she falls down to her side. "Look at the stupid snot now!" Gizmo mocks, hovering over her. He drops a small metallic object as Shayera's heart drops. They're really going to abduct her now.

The knockout gas erupts from its content as the 4 villains put on gas masks. Shayera attempts to roll away, coughing, but Shimmer controls the pipes to make her stay in place. After a few seconds of attempting to fight it, Shayera blacks out. The last thing she hears is Gizmo. "This better be enough to bring out that stupid 'Falcon.'"

"…_Falcon…?"_

"It will, Gizmo. Do not worry…"

* * *

**Time: 1900 hours EST**

**Location: Blüdhaven, New York**

Kenra descends onto the roof, unstrapping her hidden knives from her wrist. She clips them onto her belt, holding the coat under her arm. With that finished, she walks down the staircase and heads to her room. As she enters the long hallway, Wintergreen meets up with her.

"Ah, Ms. Hol, you're back. Would you like dinner now, or preferably later?"

Kenra smiles, pulling her cap off. "I'd like it now, please. I'll be in my room for the rest of the night unless Wilson wants me to do something."

"I believe that he would like to see you later," the butler states with a bow. "Approximately at 2100 hours."

"Do you know what it's about?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Well, thanks anyway, Wintergreen." The young Thanagarian continues down the hallway, entering her room. The moment she enters, she flops down onto the bed, taking a deep breath. Her falcon continues to hop around in the cage and she glances at it. Deciding that it needs to stretch its wings, she opens the cage. It immediately flies out of the window as she stares out to the night sky. "How much longer…?" she wonders.

She pulls a knife out from underneath her pillow and throws it towards the door. Once embedded, the door swings open. "Show off," Rose mutters hotly, pulling the knife out of the door.

"You want something?" Kenra asks, hanging the coat back into her closet. She grabs her mask, examining the multiple cracks spread around. A melancholy feeling begins to form in the pit of her stomach.

"You know, Daddy could repair it for you, considering how damaged it looks," Rose begins, attempting to bring their gap a bit closer. Kenra glances at her, and Rose resists the urge to recoil in surprise. Kenra's eyes are filled with sorrow and tears that refuse to fall down. Stammering, Rose continues, "B-but that's only if you're ok with it. I mean, I can see that it means a lot to you the way it is now. But it's also unsafe since someone could break it with a single punch and cause everyone to see your face."

Kenra looks back down at the mask, slowly sitting down on the mattress. Rose takes it as a good sign and hesitantly sits down on the desk chair. "Appreciated," she mutters, her head buried in her hands.

"Do you…maybe…wanna talk about it?" Rose asks slowly, offering a metaphorical hand to the orphaned and lonely Thanagarian.

Kenra slowly lifts her gaze back up to the mercenary's daughter. "I don't want to overwhelm you, though."

"Please, I could use a story. Daddy's busy with something and Wintergreen has to prepare dinner. You're the only other occupant in this home that I can talk to." Rose sighs. "Look, I know we had our differences at first, but I think we should fix it if we want to succeed," Rose offers with a faint smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. We've got some time to kill before your next mission," Rose begins, leaning against the chair.

Kenra scoots back, her back and wings bumping resting against the wall. "Well, I don't even know where to begin."

"Start with the worst things that happened to you. After that, everything else should roll out along with it."

She sighs, looking at the open cage. "It was the final battle against the Gordanians…" she begins.

_2 Hours later…_

The two females leave Kenra's room, Kenra noticeably feeling much better after getting everything off of her chest. Rose trails behind; pondering on the things she was told. They had spent the first hour letting Kenra vent and then Rose told Kenra her story. From being with the Teen Titans to now, being with her father. Kenra stops halfway down the hallway, Rose almost bumping into her.

"Do you know what the mission is?"

"I promised Daddy not to tell you anything. But I'll tell you this much. This is your mission and what you do will depend on our next move. So in his words, 'don't screw this up.'"

Kenra smiles, "Duly noted."

When the two enter, Kenra freezes in surprise at the monitor Slade is facing. "Ah, Kenra, you're here," Slade begins, turning around to face her. Kenra breaks out into a cold sweat before her face contorts into anger.

"Who are these people? And where are they?"

Slade glances back at the monitor. "Oh, you mean the Fearsome Five? They're in a hideout nearby here. I had planted a bug on Gizmo during our last confrontation and look at what it led to. I believe their motive for abducting her was to get information out about you and your location."

"So, what's my mission?" Kenra asks as Psimon moves in front of Shayera on the monitor.

"Go to their hideout and show them the wrath of the Falcon. You do what you want when you're there. Kill anyone you want, destroy whatever you want, and steal whatever you want." Slade hands her a small GPS locator, allowing Kenra to track them down.

With that said the Thanagarian Assassin wheels around with the intent to kill surrounding her. She rushes into her room, grabbing all of the weaponry that she has and stuffing them into the holster and belt. Rose slowly opens the door, allowing it to creak. "You're not even going to rest?"

"I'll do it once I'm done." She turns back to Rose. "This shouldn't take long." She grabs her cloak, wrapping it around her.

"Are you really gonna kill her, you know, there?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Depends on the situation. My targets this time is that group, the Fearsome Five. They're the ones that are getting in my way. I need to leave a message, showing that if you interfere with me, you're not leaving without a scratch."

"Kenra, if you kill her there, there's no chance of escaping from the League. If that does happen, Daddy and I won't be able to protect you anymore," Rose warns, fear beginning to make her voice crack.

"Well, we'll just have to see what happens next won't we?" she asks, her cloak allowing her to camouflage into the surroundings.

She climbs out of the window, flying in the direction of the Fearsome Five's latest hideout.

* * *

**Time: 2110 hours EST**

**Location: Blüdhaven, New York**

Shayera's eyes slowly and groggily blink open, seeing nothing but darkness. The first thing she notices after is the pain in her arms and that she is chained to something cold and metal. Tapping into her Thanagarian strength, she starts to pull herself free when a voice makes her pause. "I wouldn't try it, you snot face! That thing's designed to hold down even Superman!" An evil chuckle follows the statement.

With a snarl, she glares at the figure in front of her, squinting to adjust her eyes to the darkness. The person is none other than Gizmo. Tearing her eyes away from his smug face, she quickly scans her surroundings. Mammoth and Shimmer are standing off to the side and she jerks with surprise when she sees who is standing behind Gizmo. Psimon, with a malicious grin on his face, glides around Gizmo and saunters to the front until his face is barely a foot away from hers.

"We will give you one last chance, Shayera. Tell us where she is and we'll let you go."

Shayera narrows her eyes hatefully at him before responding, "Even if I knew who you're talking about, what makes you think I'm willing to tell you her location? I wouldn't do something like that to someone I trust."

Psimon chuckles, "Well then, I suppose that you're willing to sacrifice yourself for your relative, after all." He steps back, bringing his pale hands to his glass-domed brain. "Don't forget. We gave you a chance…"

Shayera snaps her eyes shut as Psimon's brain begins to glow even though she knew there was no way to escape his psychic attack. The last thing she hears is an amused chuckle.

The first thing Shayera feels when she comes to is the heavy rain beating heavily upon her. Blinking, she shields her eyes as some droplets splash into her eyes when she realizes with horror that the liquid is actually red. The scarlet rain continues to fall as she inspects her surroundings. Taking a step forward, her foot makes a squelching sound and she recoils in disgust and horror when she realizes what she stepped on. Numerous bodies lie scattered around her, bodies contorted into unnatural angles and blood still streaming out from their wounds. Shayera steps back, about to seek refuge to gather her bearings when she sees a familiar figure in the distance. Her eyes narrow with hatred.

Shayera sprints towards the figure, noticing how she doesn't seem to be getting closer. As the thought passes her mind, the figure suddenly turned and thrust a small dagger at her. She narrowly dodges it as it nicks her upper arm. Stepping back, she sinks warily into a defensive stance as the figure pulled back their hood. Of course, it is Psimon. "So, this is one of your fears, Shayera? Seeing your planet destroyed?" Psimon mocks, gesturing around.

Shayera bristles with anger and grits her teeth as tendrils appear behind Psimon. "This is what you plan to do to get me to give you information? Well, it's not going to work." The tendrils shoot towards her, binding her arms and legs before she can take no more than a step.

"Just watch," Psimon smiles knowingly. Her eyes widen as her parents appear with Hro in the lead. A pang of guilt and regret reverberates within her as she remembers how she had chosen Earth over Thanagar and her love for him. She wills herself to say something, but her throat constricts with emotion and she can't form a single word. No. She shakes her head angrily. She needs to remember that Psimon is just messing with her mind.

As the trio comes closer to her, Psimon raises his arms. The same snaking tendrils confining Shayera grabs onto her mother, father, and Hro. Spikes suddenly appear, gouging them repeatedly. Then the screams start. Shayera stiffens in despair as their screams continue to ring in her ears. "No…" she mutters, fear gripping her. Relishing in her pain, Psimon produces 3 daggers and starts brandishing them in front of the three as they continue to thrash around. "Please, stop," she pleads as the daggers float in front of their chests like little assassins. Despite her knowledge that this is only in her mind, she can feel herself slowly losing contact with reality.

"You want me to stop?" He simpers mockingly. "Then start talking." He pauses, giving her a chance to speak up. Not a sound left her throat. "No? Well then…" The knives lower into a horizontal position and freeze before shooting forward straight into their hearts. Abruptly, the three's screams cut off with a gurgle. The blood blossoms, quickly spreading across their chest.

_The scene changes._

Shayera drops roughly onto the ground and she coughs when she accidentally inhales a lungful of dust and sand. Slowly getting onto her feet, she scans her surroundings. The trickle of water sounds in her ears, and she deduces that she is probably on a tall cliff, when she sees the rocky wall behind her. There is no more rain, at least. She doesn't see anyone though and that has her tensing up, her battle-born instincts telling her to be ready for anything that may come. "I suppose witnessing their deaths aren't as severe as this," Psimon's voice echoes around her. Mirages of the founders suddenly shimmer into existence, save one. All of them are glaring at her with betrayal, distrust, and hatred.

"I knew we couldn't trust you," Diana growls scornfully, her fists clenched with anger.

"I gave you a second chance, but you blew it..." Superman regretfully states, shaking his head.

"I trusted you and defended you! I thought that you'd be able to prove everyone wrong and be the hero that I used to know! You broke our trust and expectations..." Flash screams at her before trailing off.

"We're going to have to take you in, Shayera. You can't be part of the League anymore," Bruce declares, almost regretful of the decision.

"You've been taken off the Justice League. No one trusts you anymore and you now have a criminal record? How shocking. What has happened to the Shayera Hol that everyone used to know and trust?" Psimon speaks in a sing song voice as Shayera collapses onto her knees, grasping at her head in an attempt to get him out of her head. She just hopes that he doesn't- "But that's not the worst part, is it?" She had spoken too soon.

"No…no...DON'T!" she whispers repeatedly under her breath. All she has to do is tell him what he wants. But she doesn't even know where to begin. A glowing dark green boot appears in her peripheral vision, and she swears that her heart just stopped. With hesitation, she slowly looks up, her emerald eyes locking with his glowing green eyes. "John…" she pleads, her throat constricting.

His arms are crossed and his eyebrows are furrowed as he glares down at her with slight sadness, but mostly rage and hatred. "If I can't even trust you, what makes you think I'll even _love_ you?" he says hotly. His arm snaps out to grab her by her neck, effectively choking her due to his strong Marine Corps hands. Immediately after, he pulls out a dagger and slashes her wings. John continues in a cold voice as Shayera screams with pain, "The others told me that they want to take you in, but you don't deserve that luxury. I want to make sure you don't break my heart again, and leaving you in that prison would be too easy for someone like you to escape from." He steps purposefully towards the edge of the cliff as she attempts to free herself from his grasp. This is all wrong. This is all wrong, wrong, wrong. And when did he get so strong?

As soon as she could no longer feel the ground beneath her, she starts to double her efforts in escaping.

Psimon's voice drifts over to where she is. She can almost see his smug face. "Now, Shayera, all you have to do is tell me where she is. The moment you do, I'll release you from my little game."

As John's grip around her esophagus tightens, she manages to choke out, "E-even if I knew…where she is…w-what makes you think I'd t-tell you?" She smirks in where she thinks his general direction is. No matter what Psimon does to her, she is a hero through and through. No way will he make her talk.

"So you're saying you're willing to go through this torture again?" He pauses. "Well then, more fun for me." John releases his hand and she can't help, but let out a scream as she swiftly falls. With horror, she can see the ground quickly nearing her vision, but her wings could do no more than twitch after getting slashed so heavily.

A loud crunch sounded as her body crashes into the unforgiving ground. She chokes as blood sprays out from her mouth, her crushed internal organs screaming with agony. The pain is too much. Before she blacks out, she can hear Psimon chuckling evilly.

* * *

"Come now, Shayera. Tell me where she is," Psimon growls impatiently as Shayera's head flops down, his psychological assault still continuing. Silence meets him and he grits his teeth, his normally cool and aloof demeanor dropping. He grabs her hair, as he stares into her dead and empty emerald-hue eyes. "_Where. Is. She?"_ he demands.

_Thock_!

Psimon blinks, seeing a dagger embedded onto the table right next to Shayera. "If you wanted to find me so badly, you should have just called. Well, I'm flattered, either way. I mean, I was never sought after this intensely. Really, did you have to abduct my sister just to get to me?" a new voice begins. Psimon turns around, glaring hatefully at the interruption.

He releases Shayera, her head flopping back down. "And I suppose that you are the one we've been searching for?"

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," she says condescendingly. Thundering footsteps can be heard as Mammoth charges towards her. She ducks down, sweeping her legs out and knocking him over. She pulls out a dagger from her holster and stabs Mammoth in the abdomen, ignoring his bellow of pain. "Shut up, you stupid beast. I didn't even hit a vital spot. As long as I don't pull out that dagger, you'll live, albeit in pain." She punches the area right next to the knife's location and Mammoth's vision swims, seeing stars and white spots here and there. He blacks out from the pain as Gizmo and Shimmer appear; ready to take on the mysterious assailant.

"Who are you supposed to be, you stupid snot-muncher? You're ruining our plans!" Gizmo barks, his controller in his hand. The knives appear between her fingers as she chooses a target. Deciding that Gizmo's the weaker of the two, she charges towards him. Due to her speed, he can't do anything as she plunges a knife into the backpack, the knife also embedding itself into his back. He lets out a small gasp as she grabs his head and slams him downwards, leaving an indentation on the tiles. Shimmer's eyes glow as the tiles and walls enclosing them fly towards the assailant. She dodges them, slicing some out of her way as she advances towards Shimmer. A foot away, Shimmer drops into a defensive stance and prepares for a hand-to-hand battle.

Kenra sheathes her weapons and throws the first punch. Shimmer blocks it as Kenra throws a right hook. Expecting it, Shimmer blocks it and Kenra decides to knee her in the stomach. Shimmer recoils from it and Shayera pulls out her sword. Shimmer looks up in time for her to see Kenra's foot flying downwards to perform an axe kick, effectively making contact. Shimmer faceplants onto the tiles, blood streaming out of her nose and mouth. But she still gets back up and Kenra sighs boringly. "You still won't go down? Man, you're a tough one."

Shimmer staggers and charges at her, roaring. Electricity pulses in her sword and she flicks it downwards as soon as her opponent gets into range. The cut starts from Shimmer's left shoulder and ends on her right hip. The electricity courses throughout Shimmer's body as her blood sprays out from her wound, bathing Kenra, Psimon, and Shayera in the scarlet liquid. Shimmer's eyes dim as her life begins to ebb away, her body collapsing on the ground. "I applaud you for taking down so many, but what makes you think you can defeat me? Shayera Hol is catatonic from just my powers. Do you really think you can defeat me?" Psimon questions, smirking loftily.

"I just killed one of your cohorts and pretty much maimed the other two. Do _you_ want to test me?" She glares hotly at the villain.

He mockingly chuckles as rage boils within her. She attempts to calm down, using her training and teachings to keep herself in check. "Why don't you deflate that ego of yours? After all, I was only doing this to find _you_."

She charges at him, her sword crackling with electricity. He shields himself as the electricity starts to cause the lights to flicker on and off. "Are you so cowardly that you're not willing to fight me? Are you so weak that you need to attack people when they are at their weakest?" More electricity emits from her sword as his shield begins to crack. Psimon's face contorts in pure concentration, but Kenra's rage breaks the shield.

Her momentum causes her to fall towards Psimon and all he can do is stare at her in fear, preparing for the impact. Her sword breaks the glass containing his brain and slices downwards, blood showering the sisters in blood. "Too bad…we didn't…find you first…" Psimon mutters his last words before collapsing, his breath becoming slower and slower by the minute.

Kenra flicks the blood off of her blade and turns to her sister, whom is still catatonic. Swinging her sword, she frees her elder sister from the chains. Kenra catches her before she can fall, laying her against the cold, metallic wall. She kneels beside her, checking her pulse. Her breathing is still normal, but her brain is probably still slowly recovering from the psychological torture she had just gone through. A dagger appears in Kenra's hand and she brings it to her sister's neck, mentally preparing herself to end it.

* * *

"The tracker says that she's in here," Batman states, holding a compact GPS as he stares at the building. Green Lantern and Superman are behind him, gauging the building's durability. Green Lantern had returned with Superman to find that Shayera had been abducted. Luckily, the would-be kidnappers had forgotten about her comm link so they contacted Batman to help track her down.

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's get her out." Green Lantern shoots a singular beam at the door, effectively breaking it down. He flies in and the other two superheroes reluctantly follow him, hoping that he doesn't do anything stupid.

* * *

Kenra pulls away, her ears having picked up the noise that John had made. "I can't kill you now." She grabs Shayera's neck, looking her dead straight in the eyes. "Once you've suffered and know the meaning of losing everything you love like _I _did, then I will kill you," Kenra swears, sneering. She swiftly walks over to Mammoth, pulling the dagger out of him as he groans in pain. She places the blood-soaked knife into Shayera's hand, smearing the splattered blood implicating her of killing Shimmer, Psimon, and possibly Mammoth. She writes something besides Shayera using the blood on her person.

With that finished she charges towards the closest window, bracing herself for the glass impact. Shattering the glass, she spreads her wings out wide, allowing the draft to carry her up and she heads back to Slade's home.

* * *

John pushes the door down, using his ring for light. His heart momentarily stops, seeing all of the blood in the room. He spots the red hair of his lover and he immediately sprints towards her, kneeling down and examining her. Meanwhile, Batman and Superman inspect the aftermath of the fight. Superman kneels down besides Psimon, hearing the wheezing breaths of the villain. "Who did this?" Superman asks, hoping Psimon still has enough energy to tell him.

"Look…around…I'm sure…you can figure it out…" He attempts to chuckle, but blood chokes him. Life escapes him as he stares ahead. Superman closes his eyes quietly as Batman compresses Mammoth's wound to prevent more blood from leaking out.

"We've still got two alive. John, grab them and Shayera. Put them in a bubble and we'll bring them back to the Metro Tower."

"Oh no, I'm not putting those guys in the same bubble as Shayera," he argues, holding Shayera bridal-style. Clark and Bruce can see the Thanagarian visibly shaking.

"Fine, you can carry Shayera. Clark, you get Mammoth and Gizmo. I'll be behind you guys with Shimmer and Psimon. When we get to the Metro Tower, I'll send the two straight to the Metropolis Morgue. Clark, you and John will bring Shayera and the two villains straight to the nearest hospital."

The two agree and as John flies ahead with Shayera in his hands, he can only wonder who their next opponent will be. "I swear, Shay, I'll find your sister and deal with whoever did this to you." He looks back down at her eyes, the same devoid eyes that he loves. "I promise."

* * *

**Lefty: I took a while because I had to figure out Shayera's fears and weaknesses. I used a Teen Titans Fanfic and a Young Justice episode as reference for the torture scene in case you noticed.**

**May: We are late by almost a week, but, Happy New Year's.**

**Lefty: Yup! Better late than never :)**


	8. I'd Do Anything

**This chapter is rather short, due to writer's block and me stressing out over Finals and benchmarks last week :/ Lame excuse, but I needed my brain for Finals. My grades, and Tennis, depended on it... :P Anyways,**

**On with the story!**

* * *

**Location: Metro Tower; Med Bay**

**Time: 2310 hours EST**

Where is he? Why isn't he here yet? Surely, with the news he would be here quicker. John bounces up from the hospital chair and starts pacing around, wondering what the hell could be holding J'onn. He stops in front of the solitary window, overlooking the city of Metropolis. Somewhere out there, the person responsible for this entire mess could be sitting in the lap of luxury while the love of his life is recuperating from psychological torture. Somewhere out there, there is a younger sister that apparently framed Shayera for a bank robbery, two charges of attempted murder, and Psimon's and Shimmer's death.

John frowns, stealing a glance back at the red-haired occupant of the room. Her eyes are still closed, and John would do anything to get them to open again. The only external injuries are small abrasions littering her arms from Shimmer's water pipe constriction. His gaze lingers over her, seeing the blanket slowly rise and fall as Shayera continues to breathe. The heart monitor continues bleeping, also indicating that the patient is still alive and breathing. He sighs, wondering where the hell her sister could possibly be. And the message that was left beside Shayera when they had arrived makes him worry even more.

Written in blood had been one word. _"Falcon."_ After John and Batman had done some speculation, they believe that this Falcon persona could possibly be Shayera's younger sister. A strange feeling starts to form in the pit of his stomach as he wonders what this could possibly mean.

A knock on the door shakes him out of his thoughts. John almost jogs to the door, hoping that it's J'onn. It is. "I heard about what happened and I came here as quickly as I could," J'onn begins as he enters the room. He leans over the red-haired Thanagarian, his face turned into a frown. "I assume it was Psimon's work?" John nods, as J'onn inspects the damage.

"Think you can get into her mind?"

"I am not sure. The last time I pushed my limits, Kragger was almost catatonic. Hopefully, Shayera's mind will not be as shielded in her current state." He extends his green arms, his fingers pressed on either side of Shayera's head. His eyes begin to glow, indicating that he is going to go into Shayera's mindscape.

* * *

J'onn slowly opens his eyes, seeing flames lick the buildings in their mad quest to destroy. The buildings in the city are in shambles, corpses strewn everywhere, and towers off in the distance collapsing one by one from the destruction. He makes his way through, trying to find rhyme and reason amongst the chaotic destruction, his body tense for a battle. He muses over how it is completely different from Kragger, possibly because Shayera's is currently damaged of course. He abruptly stops, his ears having picked up something. He hears someone running from behind and he turns around in time to see a glint of steel. His opponent lets out a battle cry as he ducks to the side, the sword cutting off a small portion of his cape. "Shayera! Wait! Let me help you!" J'onn attempts, but she continues to swing her sword at him.

Wait. A sword? He dodges another swing, his back bumping against a decrepit building. He phases into it, hoping to gain some ground and think through the situation. Shayera has never used a sword in battle, either this is her younger, or someone else.

Suddenly, the door to the building is sliced to bits as she appears. J'onn becomes intangible, a futile attempt to escape from her. She jumps towards him, hate and resentment in her eyes. He narrowly dodges the attack, hiding behind a table. "Please, let me look for Shayera!" he pleads, as she charges towards his hiding spot. Ignoring him, she attacks him, electricity beginning to erupt from her sword. She breaks the table in half with the force as J'onn recoils from the shrapnel. Reluctantly, he launches himself at her. Holding her down, he looks her in the eye. "Where is Shayera?" As she struggles in his grip, she utters a plethora of Thanagarian words. "Calm down." He applies more pressure as she continues to struggle.

J'onn frowns, deciding that he'll have to pull back for now. He can't risk doing anything to her psyche, lest they want to cause permanent damage. He releases her and before she can do anything else, he exits Shayera's mind. He'll have to formulate a new game plan.

* * *

"J'onn? You ok?" The Martian leans back against the chair, his shoulders sagging to indicate his defeat. "What happened in there?"

J'onn stands up, walking towards the window. "When I entered, everything was destroyed. I believe that that is her mindscape at the moment: Thanagar in shambles. Immediately after I entered, a female Thanagarian assaulted me in an attempt to kill me. I believe that this is a defense mechanism to avoid more damage. I do not know how I will be able to help Shayera if she has someone in there to protect her. If I cannot look for her, then I cannot hope to rescue her."

"Let me go with you," John speaks up, resolution in his tone.

J'onn turns back towards him, surprise on his face. "Why-"

"If this Thanagarian is her, she might respond better to me. If not, then we could split up and I'll go look for her." John sits down on the second chair, his hand grabbing onto Shayera's smaller one. His eyes plead with J'onn to allow him in. J'onn takes a deep breath. There could be dire consequences with this.

"But this could cause psychological damage to you as well," J'onn warns him.

"I don't care. I'd do anything to help her, J'onn. _Anything_," he emphasizes the last word, hoping that J'onn will realize how determined he is. J'onn realizes that he's being dead serious. He'd willing to do anything for the love of his life. He closes his eyes for a moment, now knowing that John is mentally prepared for this.

"Very well."

* * *

**Location: Bludhaven, New York**

**Time: 2345 hours EST**

Kenra sets her knives down on the desk, examining them with a somewhat distant look on her face and reflecting on her opportunity. She had her chance. But she completely blew it. She had been simply a finger flick away from getting her revenge…and she had hesitated. Even now, two hours later, she still doesn't understand why she hesitated. She could have ended it there, instead of threatening her and promising more hell.

Even Rose didn't know how to respond to her hesitation. Deathstroke, of course, reprimanded her for failing her mission, but she had been told to do as she sees fit. She had gotten rid of some major thorns in his side, so he should at least be grateful for that. That ungrateful bastard. She scowls, recalling her battle with them. She had gotten soft since she had first arrived. She would have ended them without mercy, save for Psimon. She would have kept him alive to get some answers, and then off him. Nonetheless, she had done what she had planned to do. Hopefully, this will send a message to all the other villains on Earth.

She flicks her knife towards the wall, frustration starting to build up. "Why didn't I just finish her…?" As she buries her head in her hands, her mind starts to wonder. Does she really want Shayera to suffer? Does she really want revenge? Or was it just a spur of the moment? Was it just pent-up anger at everything that caused her to make such irrational vows? Was she just using Fray's death as an excuse for revenge? Was Shayera really the one to blame for all of this? Or was it someone else? She sighs, feeling a migraine coming along. Reading between too many lines seems to do that to her often.

She refuses to admit it. When she had held the knife in her hand, she had momentarily faltered. She had used Green Lantern as an excuse to escape, but she would never admit it to anyone. Especially Deathstroke. _Especially_ him. She doesn't need his stupid retorts to let her know how horribly she had failed the Thanagarian Assassins. She thought she was ready for the challenge. Does she really want to continue this way? Having Shayera in her grasp, only to let her slip through? Is it really possible for her to find a home here on Earth instead of spending each day with loathe and anger towards her last remaining family member?

If this had been a test, she would have failed miserably. Her name would have been erased from the Assassination Division's list of promising Assassins. Her name would be erased from history, all of her awards taken. She would have no one, forever living a hermit life as her friends fought valiantly for Thanagar. She'd die and no one would know. No one would weep. It's enough to make someone on Earth cry over the inhumanity. But then again, that's on Thanagar. She's on Earth now. She should stop living in the past and move on. "Stop living in the past…and move on…?"

She stares out the window, the words impacting her more than she realized. Her hands unconsciously fiddle with her earrings, the same earrings her beloved Fray had given her when he proposed to her. It's equivalent to that of an engagement ring on Earth. She takes them off, examining them between her fingers. Her left hand trails over the scar on her eye, slightly wincing when she remembers her friends' deaths again in clear, vivid details. Her eyes linger over the bottle of Metopirone, wondering if she really needs to drink it. After all, her memories are what made her who she is today. The only question is, how will she use her memories now? Will she continue using them as an excuse to satisfy her anger…or will she honor their memories and stop the Gordanians?

That's when she realizes something. With her mind made up, she places her mask back on. Placing all of her knives in their respective holsters, she looks at herself in the mirror. She has changed so much from the Thanagarian that had crash-landed on Earth all those days ago. She had gone through so much in so little. But she was ready to make her stand. She was ready to be her own person now. She's a grown Thanagarian. It's time to say goodbye. With one last sweeping glance of her room, she leaves, heading straight for Deathstroke.

One can only wonder what is going through her mind.

* * *

**Location: Metro Tower, Med Bay**

**Time: 0000 hours**

The two emerge into Shayera's mindscape, John's expression changing to a horrified look. "This is-"

"This is what Psimon has done to your mind," J'onn replies, convincing John of Psimon's cruelty. Anger wells up in him, loathing the fact that he didn't have the satisfaction of dealing with Psimon himself as revenge. He should have kept a close eye on Shayera. His thoughts are interrupted as J'onn takes a step forward, examining the area. "It was about here when the-" J'onn suddenly lets out an anguished cry as a blaster makes contact with his back. He skids a few feet forward, falling on his knees. John immediately wheels around to see a Thanagarian. His eyes momentarily widen in shock, before realizing something.

She has the exact same mask as Shayera, but there is something about her posture that is distinctly different from her. The sword is being wielded in her left hand and a concussion blaster in her right, and there are wounds ranging from scratches to deep gashes littering her body. Blood is streaming from the wounds and he is surprised that she can even stand, let alone fight. "Shayera?"

The Thanagarian drops the concussion blaster, glaring hatefully at J'onn. She mutters something under her breath, darting past John. Abruptly, hawks appear out of nowhere, also heading towards J'onn. He attempts to fly away from the flock, but they are relentless. "John, I'll distract them! You go search for Shayera!" With that, Martian Manhunter flies off elsewhere, leaving John alone.

After taking a deep breath, John flies off in the opposite direction, following his gut instinct to direct him. As he passes over the cities, he can't help but shudder at the myriad of corpses scattered around everywhere. If only he had convinced Shayera to go with him to talk to Superman earlier. If only he had been more careful with her. He should have known some of the villains would come looking for her. She's related to a new villain! Of course they'd be looking for more information. He was foolish. If it weren't for his carelessness, she wouldn't be in this mess. Hell, none of them would. They could have even rescued Shayera's sister before someone got a hand on her. They'd find a way to settle her into the daily life of a superhero instead of letting her go on a little killing spree. He descends, pushing his way through the rubble. "Shayera!" he yells, hoping she can hear him. His pent-up frustration coupled with his remorse over his failure causes adrenaline to rush through his veins. He'll keep yelling until he hears her reply. Oh, he'd do anything to hear her voice again.

His ears prick when a voice begins off in the distance. His heart lifts, praying to every single deity that it's who he hopes it is. He cautiously makes his way towards the voice, his body tense for any surprise.

He chances upon a lone tower, standing erect despite the destruction around it. Despite his suspicions, he can tell that this is what he's been looking for. She _must _be in there. She must. He flies into a random room, his ears desperately searching for the voice. He is not disappointed. He can hear the voice, at the top, almost as if it's whispering to him to go up. Finally pinpointing an approximate location, his green aura wraps itself around him like a security blanket and he heads towards the top. On the way there, he encounters a multitude of rooms filled with different things from an average kitchen to a weaponry room. John muses over the fact that this tower could be considered a home combined with a barracks.

He slows his speed down as he nears the voice, landing quietly in front of the door. He hesitantly waits for the door to swing open. When nothing happens, he slowly twists the knob, resisting the urge to just blast the door away and getting the element of surprise. The door pushed in, John steps in, using his ring to illuminate the room.

There is an awning across the room, and a figure is sitting there, facing out towards the smoggy sky. He can hear their voice, continuing to speak in the incoherent language. He quickly makes his way there, tapping the person's shoulder. He notices a multitude of scars layered upon their body, and with him much closer now, his heart stops when he realizes that it is Shayera.

Her hair is messy, her wings torn and shredded as though she had just gone through a blending machine. "Shayera?" John begins, grabbing her shoulder again. Her head turns towards her and he jumps back a few inches when he sees her face. There is nothing there.

* * *

**Yeah, I had writer's block. This is rather short, because I wanted it to be a slight cliffhanger for the next chapter. Kenra's thinking has made her decide something, but what? You'll have to see next chappy ;) And what I meant by "There is nothing there," is basically, she's faceless. Like the Question. I got this idea from a Young Justice episode xp Hopefully, I won't take too long updating the next chapter. But we'll see what fate and karma has in store for me…**


	9. Alien Invasion

**Explanation time…Psimon's psychological torture caused Shayera's mind to be shredded to pieces with no chance of recovery because of his greed and attempts of getting her to answer him. So, she lost her identity, not just her mind being destroyed. Actually, wouldn't your mind being destroyed cause you to forget everything…? Whatever, I hope this explained things for you.**

* * *

**Location: Bludhaven, New York**

**Time: 0110 hours EST**

"_What_?" Slade venomously spits out, glaring daggers at Kenra. The person in question is standing a few yards across the room from him, with a poker face on as if she's not worried by the repercussions. Despite her calmness, Kenra's nerves are screaming at her to run. She knows how dangerous Slade could be, but she has to do this. For her and Rose to be free. She takes a deep, calming breath, hoping she doesn't falter.

"You heard me, Wilson. I'm sick of you constantly belittling me over every single minor misstep. I'm through with your bullshit, so I'm leaving. Right now," she repeats, her gaze never leaving him.

Rose's eyes trail over her father's grip on his armrest, seeing it clenched tight in anger. She can tell that her request has gotten under his skin, and she can't help but smirk at Kenra's boldness. She leans back against her chair, watching the little scenario play before her eyes. If things go the way she hopes…she could be free from this accursed place and not have to worry about her father watching her every move.

"And what makes you think I'll just let you…_walk out_ without so much of a fight?" Slade asks, venom dripping out of every word.

"To be honest, if I got to walk out with a simple 'Ok, you can leave and have a great day!', then I'd be even more foolish than when I was on Thanagar. I knew that when I made up my mind and I told you, you'd want to fight me." She drops her pack down with a thump, and unclasping her cloak, she gets into a battle position. "Well, I'm ready for it."

Slade visibly bristles and the two females smirk. Unknown to Slade, the two had conspired to overthrow him and leave. Where is still undetermined. But for now, their goal is to get rid of this final obstacle. This final thorn in their sides. They can finally get out of his iron grip and be free to do what they wish.

"_And it'll start with this battle…"_ Kenra believes as she charges Slade.

But she doesn't have a chance to reach him. A sudden explosion rocks the room, burying the four present in rubble and debris…

* * *

**Location: Med Bay, Metro Tower**

**Time: 0115 hours EST**

John stands there, stunned as he tries to wrap his head around the image before him. Taking a step back, he manages to mutter, "S-Shayera?"

She turns back towards the sky, muttering under her breath, "Shayera…Who's that? I don't know who she is…" A cold hand grips John's heart as anger wells up within him. Unfortunately, the person responsible for this has already been shipped off to the morgue, so he'll have to forget about it for now. John kneels besides Shayera, trying to get her attention.

"Shayera." She doesn't respond. Before he can do anything, a crashing sound nearby grabs his attention. He stands up, his ring glowing as he prepares for something to appear. The wall in front of him cracks, and he instinctively throws up a shield around him and Shayera as J'onn bursts through with Shayera's protector in tow. J'onn collides with the wall adjacent to John as Shayera's protector leaps up, her sword crackling with electricity. She releases a plethora of Thanagarian words directed towards him and he can't help but wonder what she's trying to convey to him. She continues with the gestures, as though she's playing a charade game with him.

As she continues the attempt to convey a message to him, J'onn leaps at the chance and tackles her to the side. "What is wrong with Shayera?" he questions as he pins down the protector.

"I don't know…" John risks a glance back, barely missing an otherwise messy death involving his head rolling a few feet away from his would-be corpse. But, he narrowly escapes it as his assailant falls past him. He rolls aside as he assesses the situation with his Marine Corps training instincts. Shayera is still sitting on the ledge, staring out into the sky as if she isn't aware of anything that is happening. There are two opponents that he and J'onn must face now in order to get to her.

"John!" His attention turns back to J'onn. "I will hold the two of them off. Take Shayera and go! Only you can fix her!" John immediately grabs onto Shayera's arm, pulling her away from the battle. The moment they leave the premises, the entire mindscape begins to shake immensely.

"Shayera!" He stops in midair, encircling them in a bubble. He grabs onto her shoulders, shaking her. "Shayera! You _have_ to snap out of this! We still need you! You still need to look for your younger sister! Are you thinking about her well-being? Don't you care? You have to come back to us!" The buildings begin to fall down onto their bubble, forcing John to descend as Shayera's mindscape begins to destroy itself.

Shayera only stares ahead, blank. But she hears a voice. John's voice. _Please, come back. I need you back…_Something clicks.

"…John?" He looks downwards, seeing Shayera's face restored. He peers into her shining emerald eyes, a weight being lifted off his shoulders. The two embrace for a brief moment before they are forced to separate. "What happened?"

"We came to fix up your mind after Psimon destroyed it."

"We?"

John's relieved expression changes instantly to shock. "Damn, we have to go back to J'onn! He held off your protectors to buy me some time! Come on!"

He is stopped as J'onn appears above them. "There is no need." He descends, looking at Shayera. "After you restored her mind, her protectors ceased attacking me. They slowly disappeared and I searched for you."

"That's good." John mutters as J'onn's eyes glow. "Now let's get outta here." The trio exit Shayera's mindscape as her mind slowly begins its reconstruction as two hawks fly overhead, their continued protection for their daughter forever present.

* * *

**Location: Bludhaven, New York**

**Time: 0130 hours EST**

Kenra blinks once, her head throbbing in pain. She can hear the rocks falling onto the ground, her right arm feeling abnormally warmer than the rest of her body. She pushes upwards, slowly taking in her surroundings with an Assasin's concentration, her keen, hawk-like eyes searching for Slade and Rose.

Her right arm twitches in pain and she glances down, frowning at the gash on her forearm. For now, she'll just have to put up with the liquid streaming out of her arm. There are more important matters than a wound on an arm. Large, grotesque shapes emerge from the ceiling, flying down using their wings.

Fear clenches her heart, a cold sweat washing over her like a tsunami. Gordanians. Her fear is ebbed away, anger taking place as she clenches her teeth. Her hand gropes the ground for her sword. If they're looking for her, she'll go down in a fight. Another teaching at the Academy: Do not surrender, fight to the death.

She sits up, her right arm still uselessly dangling at her side. She grits her teeth, realizing that she'll have to wrap it soon lest she wants to die from blood loss before she even gets the chance to grab the Gordanians' attention. "Fan out and search for her. The tracker says that she is very close," the commander orders as the silhouettes spread outwards, searching under every nook and cranny.

"Found someone!" Kenra presses herself against the wall, using the shadows as a way for her to sneak towards the location. The Gordanian holds up Wintergreen by his tailcoat and Kenra's hand clenches tightly on her sword, resisting the urge to leap out now.

"You fool! That's not the person we're looking for! Does it look like a Thanagarian to you?" Another one scolds. He growls, dropping Wintergreen without a care. Kenra barely manages to quiet her growl as the Gordanians continue on, dragging Slade and Rose into the center under the hole where the moonlight is streaming in.

"She's not here! Did that stupid tracker screw up again?" Kenra notices Rose's eye fluttering open and she prays that Rose can hold out on her own long enough for Kenra to get into position to surprise them. Rose immediately sweeps out her leg, catching 3 Gordanians off guard. She jumps back, pulling her sword out. Kenra swiftly gets to her destination, pulling out a dagger and aiming for the commander's vital points. As she lifts her arm up, a Gordanian barrels into her, knocking the wind out of her.

She instinctively stabs the Gordanian, catching him in the side. His blood spurts outwards, splattering onto her face. He falls to the side, landing on her injured arm. She bites back her scream, pushing him off. She begins to feel woozy as the commander turns towards her, having heard the scuffle. He points his energy spear at her, aiming to shoot her down. She dodges to the side just as he releases the laser.

Gordanians begin converging on her, leaving Rose to handle 4 of her own. Kenra can see that she won't be able to hold out on her own for much longer. Neither of them can. She grits her teeth, trying to devise up a plan on what to do. For now, she'll have to stall.

"What do you want with me?"

"We received word that you were here. You're a wanted criminal amongst the Gordanians for all of your assassinations. And let's not forget what you did during Thanagar's last stand."

She scoffs, pulling out her sword and energizing it. "Do you honestly think you'll get me without a fight?" She enters a defensive position, flicking her hand, daring the Gordanians to attack her. 3 of them leap at her and she rapidly fights back each one.

The first one attempts to stab her, but she grabs his arm and throws him over her head. His head collides with the wall and he's down for the count. The other two circle her, trying to find an opening. Her head begins to swim at the blood loss and she realizes that if she doesn't finish it now, she may not get the chance to escape.

Taking the initiative, she leaps forward, using the Gordanian as a pad for her. When she lands directly behind him, she drops down and sweeps her leg out and tripping him over. As he goes down, the 3rd Gordanian charges towards her. She easily leaps upwards, her feet landing on his spear and forcing him down. Surprised by the sudden weight, the Gordanian falls flat on his face and Kenra lands on his back. His eyelids flutter as black spots begin to form. She grabs his head and slams it down once more, allowing him to finally slip into unconsciousness.

Distracted, and relishing in the easy defeats, Kenra does not notice the commander sneaking up behind her. But Rose does. "Kenra!" She looks upwards, and turns around, but not quickly enough.

The commander's electric spear digs into her wing and she releases a painful, agonized cry, her body screaming and begging for the pain to stop. The commander does not relent in his cruel electrocution and Kenra's vision begins to diminish to just black and white spots swimming before her.

She lets out a gasp and the commander finally yields, her body flopping down as though she is a puppet with her strings cut off. Rose darts towards her when a wall of Gordanians blocks her off. She fights them, but the sheer number eventually tires her out. A Gordanian releases a well-aimed right cross to her and she is down for the count.

Her eyelid flutters as two Gordanians grab Kenra, holding her up under the moonlight. The commander sneers, gesturing triumphantly at Kenra. "Do you see this, men? A Thanagarian has been easily felled by me. And you know the reward we get when we defeat these damn, winged-aliens…" Rose screams at her body to move, but her exhaustion levels hold her down. She can only watch as her friend is slowly unmasked by the accursed green lizards from outer space.

Fiery red, shoulder-length hair cascades downwards, framing her deathly pale face. Rose can see the three-clawed scar on her left eye. Blood is still streaming out of her wound and Rose notices how the Gordanians are intentionally ignoring it. The commander holds the mask over his head as though it is a head of a difficult monster he had just managed to defeat. The present Gordanians cheer in success of their little bounty.

Soon, the Gordanians begin to pull out and Rose slowly and discreetly crawls away. She looks back as the Gordanians ascend with Kenra in tow as a trophy to bring back to their home. She turns back, vowing that she will rescue her. But first, she must search for the Justice League. Only they can possibly achieve such a rescue attempt…

* * *

**Lefty: Writer's block is a cruel, cruel thing…At least I got this out! Haha, damn Health projects taking up my time…Let's not forget an essay where we have to write about our first crush and then read it to the whole. Freaking. Class. ._. And then there was the behemoth project in my math class…Why is 2****nd**** semester always so stressful…? Anyways, the next chapter will (hopefully) be put up by the end of the weekend. I am already halfway through it right now. **


	10. I Have to Rescue Her

**Funny how most of this was done at school…Huh.**

* * *

**Location: Surveillance Room, Metro Tower**

**Time: 0600 hours EST**

Aidan Rodriguez is a normal man, except for the fact that he works for an "industry" that none would suspect. He is amongst a large group of civilians that had been hired to work for the Justice League when they began expanding upon more superhero recruits. He yawns, a cup of coffee held firmly in his hand, as he sits down in the surveillance room with a bunch of his other group mates. He turns his attention towards a particular scene, not paying much attention. As he listens absently to the news report, he spits out his coffee and the people around him stare at him in surprise.

He immediately grabs a piece of paper and pen, jotting down quick notes of what he is hearing. After deciding that he has heard enough, he darts out of the room, heading straight for Superman who should be present by now.

Back at the room, everyone looks at the news report. After listening for a short amount of time, their eyes widen. Now they know why Aidan would suddenly run out like that, paper in hand. Hopefully, Superman will know what to do with this revelation.

* * *

**Location: Medical Room, Metro Tower**

**Time: 0605 hours EST**

After holding vigil over a recuperating Shayera, John begins to nod off. J'onn had left after checking once more to see if she was ok. Shayera slowly opens her eyes, noticing her lover sleeping peacefully on the chair, his hand still holding onto hers. She can't help but smile at the gesture.

He jerks his head upwards, slowly waking up as well. "Morning, sleepyhead," she mutters to him. He smiles at her comment.

"Feeling better?"

"Aside from the occasional migraine during the night, I'm better."

"Good." His face suddenly changes to seriousness. "It's my fault for leaving you alone like that. If I had taken you with me, we wouldn't be in this mess right now."

"John, it's ok." She reassures him by gripping his hand tighter. "We didn't expect them to search for me to look for my sister. It's not like we follow their every moves."

"But we should be able to supervise all of the villains. We have all of this tech and we couldn't keep an eye on you. We even lost your location for a moment when they abducted you."

"You're forgetting about Gizmo, John. He's a mechanical genius so he probably blocked the frequency. I guess, in their excitement, he must have turned it off afterwards."

"But still-"

"Let it go, John. You took them all to jail right?" He nods. "Good. When they have Psimon's trial, I want to be there." John suddenly grimaces at the mention of his name and Shayera mistakes it for anger. "John, we're already going to bring him to justice."

"It's not that…" He trails off.

"You didn't." His silence answers her. "You killed him, John?!" her voice begins to rise in volume as John attempts to explain.

"He and Shimmer were already like that when we-"

"Oh, and Shimmer's dead too?" She cuts in, beginning to get agitated.

"Listen!" She quiets down and he palms his face, taking deep, concentrated breaths. "When Bruce, Clark, and I came and found you, the room looked like a bloodbath. Mammoth and Gizmo are still alive, although Mammoth is in the ICU right now. Gizmo is the only one that escaped whatever appeared. Shimmer was killed due to blood loss and electrocution. Psimon had been cut from left, topside of his glass dome and straight down. Death was blood loss and electrocution as well.

Shayera stares at him in shock at the news. "And…you don't know who did it?"

"When I found you, there was a word written in blood right next to you. It said 'Falcon.'"

"Do you have any-" Before she can finish her sentence, Superman swings the door open, a piece of paper in his hand.

"Sorry to interrupt, since I know you're still resting up," he nods to Shayera, "but one of the workers saw this on the news." He turns on the television as a reporter finishes up on her summary of current, worldwide events.

"_Now can you explain to us what is occurring?"_

"_Well, Jill, firemen are uncovering the rubble at the moment. In the middle of the night, the ceiling's caved inwards and they're currently looking for survivors. Oh, hang on, Jill. I think they've got some men pulled out._" The men pull out a pale-looking man in a tailcoat, his arm bent in an odd angle and blood everywhere. Clark then turns off the television, turning back to them.

"We received word that it was actually the work of the Gordanians." He pauses, noticing the two stiffen.

"But why the hell would they be here? Last I checked, their planet isn't even in our galaxy."

"They must be after my sister! We have to go rescue her!" Shayera begins, but Clark is already shaking his head.

"You still need to recover from your ordeal. J'onn just managed to save you scant hours ago. We can't let you risk your life so early after something like that."

"But-!" She gets no further as she leans forward, clutching her head in pain as it continues to pound as though rebelling in her loud voice. Her vision becomes blurry, but she can see John trying to advance on her and check up on her. She pushes him back, taking deep, concentrated breaths.

"See? Shayera, you're one of the founding members of the Justice League," Clark attempts. "We can't risk losing you."

"Clark, in case you forgot, the girl that's being held captive by those damn lizards is my _sister_! My _only family_! The Gordanians are probably going to take her back to their home world and put her on trial! Once they're done with publicly defaming her and giving their damn home 'justice', she's going to be a passing memory! It'll be as if she never existed in the first place! You don't realize how ruthless these bastards are!" she hisses, revealing the wrath of the Gordanians. "If you were injured, but your parents were on the line, wouldn't _you_ go and help them?"

Clark's eyes widen, not expecting Shayera to say something like that. That was a low blow…although, she _does_ have a point. Even if he was missing limbs or his internal organs, he would go after his parents. John turns towards him and the two men seem to have a telepathic conversation as Shayera sits there simmering at the thought of having to heal up before she can go and rescue her sister. Her body itches for some sort of action. Before this entire fiasco came about, it was rather peaceful and she had been hoping for something new to happen.

Eventually, Clark grabs her attention with a sigh as John turns back. "We'll let you come along. But if you begin to have any pain, we're calling off the rescue."

"But, it's my sister, Clark. I _have_ to go and rescue her. Even if it means risking my own life."

"Then, how about this?" John interjects, before the two can begin to argue again. "You can head back while the rest of the team goes to rescue her. That better?"

Shayera leans back, crossing her arms. She knows that this is the only possible compromise where she'll be able to go. "Fine."

"Then we'll begin once you've had a full day of rest." Seeing her about to protest again, he begins to elaborate in further detail. "I need to see who's available for the mission first. Besides, the Gordanians haven't left yet. If they attempt to leave, the Watchtower will stop them before they get a chance." He turns around and right before he leaves the room, he faces Shayera again.

"Don't worry. We'll get your sister back. I promise."

* * *

**Location: ?**

**Time: ?**

"Are you sure this is the one? She looks so worthless! I highly doubt she's the one that has that bounty on her head! Besides, half of the fleet is in Thanagar searching for survivors! Why the hell are we even after this one Thanagarian?"

"You fool! She is one of the reasons why this battle dragged on for so long! If it weren't for her and the damned Assassination division, we'd have had the heads of the Thanagarian Elders by now! Hell, we wouldn't have lost many of our important leaders!"

"Still…"

"Just shut up, soldier! Go back to the bay with the rest of them! I can handle myself here!" Receding footsteps can be heard. "Hmph. Damn foot soldiers. Don't even know what the hell they're talking about, and yet, they're still running their damn mouths off...If I could, I'd throttle them and throw them off the ship…"

Kenra groggily listens to them, barely regaining consciousness scant minutes ago. She looks around and scowls over the lack of light. The only source of light is the grille above her head where she can see a Gordanian standing guard over her. The same one that had been arguing with the foot soldier just now. She attempts to move her hands, gauging the strength of her restraints. She strains against it, trying to remain as silent as possible. After a few more seconds trying to break free, she relents, panting quietly. Her right arm seems to be fine now. They must have decided to patch her up. It's not like they can afford to lose her, after all.

They must know the strength of the Thanagarians. _"Then again, they _are_ our enemies…_" She can feel pressure on her legs and she groans inwardly. So they're doing whatever means possible to hold her down until they arrive on their home planet. She sighs, wondering if she should have just gone to search for her sister instead of accepting Slade's offer. "That bastard…" she mutters under her breath, her hair cascading in front of her face and her breath stops momentarily.

That damn commander must have kept her mask. Figures. He must have wanted to shame her publicly before they execute her. A sick feeling begins to form in the pit of her stomach. She had never expected to die like this. She had always hoped to die in battle, like any other Thanagarian. Not like this. Not by an executioner's axe or whatever their means of execution is on their home planet.

All she can hope for now is that Rose managed to escape and seek out her sister. It's a low possibility, but she'll cling onto that hope until the last moment. Until the axe comes down- She stops her thoughts, shaking her head. No, she will live. Whether Rose, her sister, or some mysterious deity comes, she will survive regardless. She just has to bide her time like a hunter and wait for the time to strike back. If she times it correctly, she'll be able to escape and possibly even destroy the ship that she is on. She doesn't have to depend on someone else to save her again. She can't afford to let someone risk their lives just to save her…she doesn't want to lose another loved one after her friends' deaths.

She just wishes that she can see where they are at the moment. She cranes her head a bit, seeing another Gordanian lackadaisically leaning against a beam. "Hey! You got any food for me?" she questions. The two of them regard her lazily and she curses them under her breath. Typical of them to ignore their prisoners. She looks upwards, hearing footsteps above.

Both Gordanians walk over, standing on top of the grille and staring down at her. The Gordanian that had been scolding the foot soldier earlier bends down with a malevolent grin on his face. "Oi, would ya look a' tha'? The savage knows 'ow ta speak!" The Gordanian behind him mocks. She grits her teeth, suppressing her anger. Yelling at them could be dire consequences.

"What makes you think we'll feed you? You're the cause of all of our economic problems! We're going to bring you to justice. But first, we're going to starve you and see how long it takes to see you break. The commander said not to harm you, but I bet he's just messing around. We're going to have some fun torturing you. The trip back to Karna is a long way so we'll use _you_ as entertainment," he promises, with an evil glint in his eyes. The other Gordanian's spear crackles with electricity as the two begin to chuckle evilly.

Despite Kenra's attempts and using all of her Assassin teachings to remain calm, she can't help but fear what is to come.

* * *

**Location: Metro Tower, Metropolis**

**Time: 0900 hours**

"And that's our mission. If you are willing to join, please step forward," Clark requests, standing on a stage looking out to a group of superheroes who had been chosen. Knowing some of the underlying animosity of some towards Shayera, he had decided to give them the option of whether or not they want to join.

After a brief moment of silence, one man steps forward. Greg Saunders, a country singer and also known as Vigilante, looks around, noticing the surprised looks on the present heroes and he turns back to them, offering an explanation to them and Superman. "Ah know Ah had some bad blood wit' her, but Ah owe 'er. If she needs 'elp wit' anything, Ah promised Ah'd help. So, you can count me in."

Superman can't help but smile at Vigilante's offer as he notices another person stepping forward. "If you guy are going to be fighting some ugly, green lizards, you can count me in," Helena Bertinelli, AKA Huntress, offers. "And since I'm going, Q will be joining too."

Everyone present swivels to the Question leaning against the wall in the back. He nods, not protesting Huntress's decision of his fate. "All right, we have enough. If there is anyone else-"

"You weren't seriously going to forget about us, were you, Supes?" A new voice begins. Flash zooms onto the stage and says, "We heard from L-Ron. Some of us want to join in."

Superman glances towards the door, seeing Diana standing at the entrance. "But we-"

"No protests. Come on! We all wanna help Shay and her sis! Are you seriously going to keep us from doing that?"

He looks around helplessly, realizing that his protests will fall on deaf ears. That and Diana or Wally would annoy him for the rest of his life if he doesn't let them come. Finally, he relents. "All right. Those that volunteered will have the rest of the day to prepare. We'll begin our mission tomorrow. Fair enough?"

"Why can't we just go within a few hours? If we stay here for too long in preparing ourselves, the Gordanians will escape," Diana begins reasonably.

"Shayera still needs to rest up. I don't want to risk getting her hurt," Superman explains.

"Who said you had to worry about me?" Shayera questions, walking into the room with John behind him. Clark glares at him for a moment, before recalling who the person that John had attempted to restrain is. He smirks at the thought of Shayera threatening John with her mace.

"I already told you-"

"And I already told _you_, that my sister is somewhere out there being held captive. If we take too long, like Diana said, we might never see her again. I doubt any of us would want to have an expedition to their home planet. We either go within a few hours, or I go _alone_."

Clark can tell from her gaze that she's serious. Finally, he reaches a decision and turns to the rest of the heroes. "You will all have 3 hours to prepare and meet up at noon. For some reason, the Gordanians have not left Earth's atmosphere. We will keep an eye on them until noon. Everyone is dismissed."

The heroes disperse and Shayera heads back to the Med Bay, reluctantly deciding to rest up for at least an hour. She can't afford to suddenly collapse in the middle of the rescue. She walks towards the window, staring out at the sky.

"Don't worry, Kenra. I'll come and get you soon…" she promises, the fire in her eyes reigniting.

* * *

**Location: ?**

**Time: 0930 hours EST**

A slim figure slides into an alleyway, a limp clearly in view. The figure staggers, letting out a groan of pain and panting. She leans against the wall, pulling off her mask as perspiration slides down her face. She clutches her side, blood leaking out occasionally after the Gordanians' attack. Rose pushes herself off the wall, trying to continue onto the Metro Tower.

Just a little longer, she tells herself. Just a few more miles to walk and she'll reach the Metro Tower. Then she can tell the League about Kenra's abduction. _"If_ _they'll listen…_"

Worry for her friend causes her to continue on, but there is that seed of doubt as to whether or not the League will listen to her. Considering how she had betrayed the Teen Titans before and she is, after all, Deathstroke's daughter.

Rose staggers again, seeing the Metro Tower at least 2 miles ahead of her now. Just a bit longer. Just keep putting one foot after another.

As she approaches the steps, her vision starts to blur. She can see someone jogging towards her and she attempts to mutter a few words towards them, but her legs give out on her. Before she can hit the ground, the person grabs onto her, trying to question her. She glances upwards, saying one word, "Kenra," and passes out.

* * *

**Aaaand we'll stop here. Funny thing is that I type much better during school ._. I honestly don't know why…I just do .-. And we lost 1-8 to El Modena ;^; Now I'm hella sore OTL**


	11. Motivations

**Kitsura E. has been uber busy so another pal of mine stepped in to help with the editing. Which is why this took so long to get out. Mainly because I waited for 2 weeks or so before I handed it over to my 2****nd**** friend.**

* * *

**Location: Med Bay, Metro Tower**

**Time: 1100 hours EST**

Rose groans, hearing a heart monitor beeping next to her. Painfully she opens her eyes to a white, tiled ceiling. She tries to sit up, but the pressure on her wounds prevents her. She yanks the pristine blankets away to see bandages wrapped around her and she scans the surrounding area. White walls, ashen floors, medical instruments, and the potent smell of disinfectant tell Rose that she is in the medical ward. Only one thing was out of place in this picture and that was the intimidating figure of Shayera Hol leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest and a piercing gaze of distrust and wary on her face.

"What were you doing out there, half-dead?" The tone of Shayera's sharp voice promised pain if she didn't get an answer. Rose tenses and looks anywhere but at Shayera, recalling the woman's relation to Kenra…and the malicious animosity Kenra has for her. Shayera's face pinches at the young girl's silence. "Well, are you going to answer or do I have to force it out of you?"

Rose reluctantly looks squarely in the eye at the woman, a morose look on her face. "I…I'm going to assume you saw the news where Wintergreen was pulled out?" she mumbles quietly. The thought of the event and Shayera's menacing presence trips her words.

"Who is Wintergreen?" Shayera barks, beginning to get impatient. "What does he… or anything of this have to do with the Justice League?" If Rose didn't show up wasting her time, she would be having a well-needed rest in preparation of rescuing Kenra! She jumps off her spot on the wall and stalks towards the girl, hands on her hips.

Intimidated, Rose squares up her shoulders to glare at the older woman. Taking a deep breath and deciding to get straight to the point, Rose states, "Your sister was abducted by the Gordanians." Immediately the harsh pinch on Shayera's face softens into surprise at the mention of her sister. She turns her head away in thought.

Rose shifts uncomfortably in her place as she begins to wonder if she should have said that out loud. The older of the two pulls her arms together as if gathering support for her doleful thoughts. "Do…" Her hands squeeze on to her arms. "Do you know where they took her?" Shayera finally asks. Her hope is so high for her little sister that she almost chokes on it.

Looking down, Rose shakes her head. "No…I'm sorry. But…you are going to rescue her, right?"

"Yes," the woman replies without pause. Rose looks up at her.

"Let me go with you." She firmly demands. Shayera gasps at her request.

"Let _you_ go? You're injured!"

"Well so are you!"

Shayera growls and leans forward on Rose's bed. "And how the hell do you know that?"

Rosa crosses her arms. "Kenra told me."

The woman rips herself away from Rose and turns to snarl at her. "It doesn't matter. Kenra's my younger sister, so I have an obligation to protect her." She glances downwards in deep thought, her expression changing to remorse. "I've already failed so many people…I'm not going to let Kenra be another one of them."

"Well, Kenra's my only friend. Ever since I left the Teen Titans to be with my father, I've barely talked with anyone else other than him and Wintergreen. Please, you have to let me come with you," she begs, her hands gripping tightly on the bed sheets. Shayera bites her lip, a clear sign of her uncertainty. "…You don't know how lonely it gets there… I don't want to lose – to betray anymore of my friends as much as you don't want to let down the people you care about!" As Rose painfully gets her feet off of bed, she looks intently at Shayera. "… So please…"

The door suddenly swings open, Superman stalks in with a cold grimace on his face. He halts in front of Rose, and looks down at her. He exclaims, "You've got a lot of nerve showing up here after betraying the Titans."

Visibly flinching, Rose takes in a deep breath and steels herself. "…I came because I was hoping you could help me rescue Kenra." She utters as she forces herself to look at Superman in the eye.

Superman snorts, "That's rather hard to believe. How do we know your father didn't put you up to this?"

"Superman, Kenra's my only friend. If you guys are rescuing her, I want in."

"You should be glad that we haven't given you over to the authorities yet," he reminds her, his glare ever focusing on her.

She sighs. "Look, I know I've done inexcusable things that can't be forgiven so easily, but I'm willing to change. The point is I want to help save Kenra." She gazes at him with pleading eyes. "Please, just give me a chance," she beseeches.

"No," Superman condemns. He firmly crosses his arms and narrows his unforgiving eyes at her. "Once you're healed, we're going to contact the authorities and you'll be taken to Blackgate Prison where the Justice League will keep a close eye on you."

Rose widens her eyes in horror and anguish. Shayera looks just as equally as shocked. "But-"

"You're not a superhero anymore, _Ravager_. We're not willing to risk taking you on a rescue mission when you could suddenly double-cross us," He adds on.

Rose snarls at the man looking at his callous eyes that spoke of betrayal and indifference to her begging. Nothing seems to get to him, _him_ – the man who champions justice and fairness! Why can't he see that she's being sincere in this and that she'll never do anything to ruin her chances of saving Kenra?

Hurt by Superman's accusations, Rose trembles in indignation and fury. "Why do you think I came here beaten and bruised – _nearly dead_?" She bursts. "I came to ask for help, but I didn't expect you – _you_, man of steel: savior of the weak to turn me away! All I ask is to let me come with you on Kenra's rescue mission. After that, you can take me to Blackgate Prison. But for now, please let me come with you!"

Before Superman can say anything, Shayera grabs his shoulder and softly entreats, "Superman, give her a chance." He turns towards her, shocked at her input.

"Why, Shayera? We're leaving in less than an hour to rescue your sister, and you want to tow a villain with us? Aren't you worried that she'll kill us all when she gets the chance?" he attempts to reason with her.

The woman sighs. "In case you forgot, you gave me a second chance when I screwed up. And my mistake was even worse than hers, but you didn't give up on me. You and everyone else still gave me a second chance, so why should you deny her of one?"

Superman glances between the two, realizing that she may have a point. "All right," he concedes, "if you insist. But don't forget who we're dealing with."

"Believe me, I won't." Shayera nods. "But we'll need all the people we can get to rescue my sister. I'm pretty sure the Gordanians have everything prepared to counter us." Shayera stares off into the distance, wondering how her sister is faring against the barbaric lizards…

* * *

**Location: Gordanian Mothership**

**Time: ? **

"This is getting boring…" one of the Gordanians complains as the room beneath them sparks with light and embers. They can hear the constant, electric buzzing from the machine they dubbed their 'toy' down below. They can't help but wonder how their prisoner is not uttering a single yelp under their intense torture. The one who voiced his complaint sits with a group of Gordanians who huddles as close as they can to hear their captive scream. The rest of the lizards are either sitting or actually doing work.

"I know. She ain't even whimperin'. She ain't passed out or anythin' right? You sure we can't up the intensity?" a Gordanian next to the first one whines.

"Any higher than this and we risk her getting killed. And the bossman will have our heads if we kill her." A third lizard reminds.

"But this so damn borin'! Can't we go down and torture her ourselves?" grumbles the first.

"What, and risk letting her escape? No way. She's one of 'em goddamn Assassins and I can bet you she'll figure out a way to escape even with her arms and legs restrained." The third one argues.

The second lizard raises his hand. "Oh! How much will you bet on that?"

"There will be no betting!" roars their leader. He turns his back from the device controlling their 'toy' and faces his grunts. "I'm not going to risk losing our bounty just 'cause you're bored. If you wanna entertain yourself, just go out and rampage around in one of the cities – or better yet, shoot yerselves!"

"I don't even know why th' 'ell we're still 'ere!" gripes the first Gordanian.

Their leader face palms. "Were you even paying attention? Look, we're using this one as bait! The bossman said that if we bring both her and her sister before the leaders, we'll be hailed as heroes!"

"But still…I'm sick of seein' all these underdeveloped trash walking around." He grumbles.

"Quit yer complainin' or get the 'ell out of me ship! I told you you could go down un dat der cities and destroy 'em! We'll get out soon enough. They're bound to find us eventually. And when they get here, we'll ambush 'em. While they're still recovering, we swoop in, snatch Lt. Hol, and we skedaddle. Perfect plan!" As the other Gordanian starts to say something, he continues, "Shut yer trap! If you're so scared I'll shoot the sorry life out of yer!"

"…Fine."

The first Gordanian looks down at the sparks, grunting. "Well, if torturing her for fun isn't going to work, we'll just figure something else out. For now, we'll just turn this off so we don't waste the energy for the ship." He trudges over to a pad, and pauses for a moment before tapping a few keys in. The electricity stops and Kenra's head flops down.

"Hmph, the trash's knocked out. Typical Thanagarians, too weak ta do much." One of the Gordanians spits in contempt.

'Shut the 'ell up." The first Gordanian hisses. Everyone stays silent, waiting. They stand stock still and quiet until all they could hear was the buzzing of their own ears and the soft, rapid panting of their prisoner. Before a Gordanian can say anything, the leader smirks and presses a button. Instantly the electric torture device activates and the thunderous sounds of restraints futility trying to break apart resounds throughout the ship.

Finally one Gordanian snorts, "Hmph, that bitch won't even whimper."

The leader alters the device to an occasional pulse of shocks, just as his watch starts beeping. He huffs, "Pft, just wait, she'll find a way to get back at us. Now get! Our cook finished lunch, it's time to eat." Receding footsteps can be heard from the ceiling of Kenra's dank, dirty prison. She quietly gulps for air as buckets of sweat trickles down her face and onto the burnt floor. The Thanagarian closes her eyes and succumbs to her fatigue as her heart rate starts to lull. However, piercing, burning pain from her restraints courses through her body and the morbid smell of her sizzling flesh pervades the room. She bites her lip, the urge to scream – to let go of her _own _restraints and cry out - is shoved down as far as it can. But she wishes to let go. Oh, how she wants it so badly.

But the worst form of torture would be letting those shitty lizards hear her pain. Thus she will never scream.

Aside from the continuous torture she's going through, she needs to figure out a way to reach her sister and tell her the Gordanians' plan to ambush them. If she has no hope of escape, at least her sister will be safe. With renewed vigor and determination, Kenra takes a deep breath and steels herself before pulling at her constraints with a force all her strained muscles can bear. A timely electric shock jolts her to the point that her trembles can be mistaken as seizures. She bites her lips again until it bleeds and dribbles on her chin. A bleary thought forms in her mind of just biting her tongue and ending all this pain by bleeding to death, but that's the coward's way out. A Thanagarian must face their enemies head on, not escape from them.

Her mind begins to wander to her life thus far. Recalling how despite her rebellious nature, her parents still protected her to the bitter end – protecting her from their crumbling home instead of escaping and living their lives as two of the successful leaders in the war against the Gordanians. Despite her falling out with her father seconds before the destruction, her parents died to save her. She couldn't face her sister after that, not wanting to tell her that she was the cause of their parents' deaths. One of her teachers gave her a slip of paper reporting that her parents died an honorable death against the Gordanians.

"You will show that to your sister if she asks. She doesn't need to know the truth about how two esteemed soldiers lost their lives protecting _you_," he spat at her when she questioned him.

Then there was her final fight with Fray, who had lost his life protecting her. "Heroes gotta save their damsels in distress, you know." His words echo through her mind and she can't help but wistfully smirk at his arrogance.

* * *

_She had rushed into battle after Kakra's, Manu's, and Halima's death, not wanting to lose her last lifeline – the only real, deep reason she's fighting this war and not just for her planet. Backing him up, she had killed 50 consecutive Gordanians when one snuck up behind her and bashed her head with the butt of his spear. She crumpled instantly, her head pounding in pain and her body refusing to move. The Gordanian that had attacked her lifted up his spear, prepared to kill her when Fray interposed himself between them. _

_He swung his axe at the Gordanian, its head rolling away from his body. The male Thanagarian picked up Kenra and placed her down far away from the battle. She fluttered her eyes open, trying to grab her bearings. Fray kneels beside her, staring forlornly into her eyes. He strokes her cheek with his callous finger. "Hey Kenra, how's your head?" he whispers. "I'm so sorry, Kenny... I should've been there when they attacked you. How can I be your hero if I can't save you? I'm worthless…"_

_Shocked by his words, Kenra hastily got up and nearly lost her balance due to her concussion. Fray caught her and held her in a too-tight embrace. The young woman grabbed a hold of his hand and squeezed it. "No, you're not," she protested. "We all had our own assignments; you can't always be there to watch over me. You've done everything right and you even saved me from getting killed back there. You will always be my hero, Fray."_

_Fray shakes his head at her. "According to me, I'm not. And I don't want to argue about this okay?" he added, seeing Kenra about to object. "I'm going to take you to the Academy so you can escape from here."_

_She shrieked, "What? No! Let me fight with you…" But the Thanagarian male had none of it. Picking his love bridal-style and ignoring her complaints, Fray spread his wings as far as they could before doing a powerful, swift pump off the floor and into the sky. He headed straight for the Academy, successfully avoiding every opposition in the way save for a few stray projectiles._

"_Hang on, Kenny. We're almost there," he puffed._

_Kenra looked downwards, wondering if she can convince him to go with her. Suddenly, Fray let out a scream as a concussion blaster hit him in the back. The two fell forward and landed heavily on the ground. His tight grip on her caused them both to tumble over one another until Kenra lost her bearings from the fall and her concussion. Slowly she pushed herself up, her head still swimming in pain and made her way towards Fray. The woman laboriously crawled to him, scraping her hands and knees on the debris created from the fighting. She knelt beside him, trying to shake him awake. Fray mumbled something incoherent before sitting up instantly, his hand immediately reaching for his axe. The two got up, preparing themselves as the living cloud of Gordanians began to descend upon them. _

_Kenra pulled her sword out, taking a few experimental swings. But Fray abruptly shoved her back. As she opened her mouth to question him, he turned back to her, tears faintly glistening in his eyes. "Go, Kenny. I'll hold them off while you get the shuttle ready."_

_Her heart stopped momentarily and she stood there for a moment, staring at him in shock. However the mass of Gordanians shakes her out of her stupor. She screams, "Fray! No way! I'm not letting them take you either! They've already got Halima, Kakra, and Manu! Come with me to Earth! We can seek asylum together!"_

"_Kenny, I'm sorry, but I have to stay! I have to hold them off for you to escape," he attempted to explain._

_She grabbed onto his arm. "No! We're escaping this planet together!"_

_The mass hovered above them, as their backs pressed against one another. Most of the Gordanians zeroed in on Fray, leaving Kenra to deal with a small battalion. She fumed at the thought of her worthlessness. She risked a glance towards Fray, noticing how his wings were tattered from the blast earlier. She turned back to the Gordanians, her sword brandished before them, but they were unfazed. _

_She flew up, hoping they would follow. Immediately her adversaries followed after her. Three Gordanians were dead in a second before she was forced to descend as they continued to overwhelm her defenses. On land the Thanagarian easily defeated the rest of her opponents with a fatal slice to their main arteries, Gordanian blood trickled down her body in rivers. She glanced over to Fray, expecting him to have easily dominated as well, but her heart leapt into her throat when she saw him on the ground, a spear protruding out of his left wing. _

_He pushed himself up, only to fall down again and the Gordanians took their chance. They leapt at him with renewed energy, surrounding him everywhere until Kenra couldn't see anything. She stood stock still, as she heard him utter a few words to her. _

"_Escape…Find your sister. And bring down these bastards." A Gordanian thrusts his spear forward, and its tip struck Fray right in the center of his chest. He released a short gasp, his eyes already dimming. He instantly crumpled and Kenra felt her entire world shattering before her._

_The loss of all of her friends in the span of 2 hours overwhelmed her as her head spun at the revelation that she was truly alone. Tears streamed down her face, twin rivers sparkling in the smoggy sky. Her head pounded as she stared at Fray's crumpled body and the Gordanians standing above him, reveling at defeating a General of the Thanagarian Army. They turned towards her, almost mocking her._

_She felt something snap and she released a feral scream as she charged at them, only her sword at her side now. She was truly alone. She had no one left. But she would be damned if she doesn't escape this planet. It was Fray's and her friends' last wish for her to escape this condemned planet. And she will fulfill it._

* * *

Kenra shakes herself out of the memory, as she looks down, seeing little droplets on the ground. The tears continue to stream down her face as she holds back sobs that threaten to overwhelm her. Her ears pick up footsteps above her, one set of the footsteps stopping on top of the grille. She glances upwards, wondering what a Gordanian would want with her.

"We're taking off soon," the tone indicates that he doesn't want to strike up a conversation with her. Regardless, she questions him.

"I thought you were going to use me as bait," she recalls.

The Gordanian looks down, a sneer on his face. "Do you really think we're gonna let 'em come to us while we're on the ground? We're going back to the Mothership that's been hovering over the skies for days now. But it's not like it's going to mean anything to you. You have no way of communicatin' with the outside world, so you can't warn the bastards that are comin' to rescue you."

He walks away and Kenra can't help but attempt to break out of her bonds. Her left arm, strengthened from swinging a heavy Nth metal sword, has made her much stronger than most Thanagarian soldiers. So, after another pull on her constraints, she hears – rather than sees – the cracks that are forming. She halts in her attempts and smirks. She'll have to put up with the charade that she is still captured. She can't risk letting them know that she's on the verge of escape.

For now, she will await for her rescuers. For now, she will wait with an Assassin's patience for a chance to escape.

* * *

**Location: Hall of Metro Tower**

**Time: 1200 hours EST**

"I believe we're ready," Superman declares, looking at the assembled heroes. Shayera is cradling her mace, with John standing directly behind her, ready to support her should she feel weak. Vigilante is double and triple-checking his guns, making sure that they are full of ammo should the need arise to fight back. Huntress fiddles with her crossbow and Flash is standing beside Shayera as well. Diana is standing beside Rose, making her fidget despite her attempts in playing it cool. The Question is in the back of the group, waiting for their departure.

"So, this is going to be a rescue mission for Shayera's younger sister, Kenra. We're going up against the Gordanians, so be ready for anything they throw at you. Any questions?"

"How do we know we're not gonna get ambushed the minute we step foot on the ship?" Huntress asks.

"We're going to come at them unexpectedly. They won't know we're coming," Superman reasons.

"Actually, they do," Rose speaks up, instantly withering as every hero present turn their gaze towards her. But Shayera nods at her, indicating that she should continue regardless of those present. She takes a deep, shaky breath, steeling herself. "Before I escaped the building, I heard two of the Gordanians talking to each other. One of them mentioned setting a trap for anyone that may come to rescue her. Their goal is to capture both sisters," her eyes meet Shayera's as realization dawns on her, "and then bring them back both to their home. They intend to put you two on trial and then have you publicly executed. A perfect reward, they said."

"They seriously think they can beat us?" Huntress questions, bristling at the thought that Gordanians, of all species, can defeat her.

"Well…no. But they're expecting a big rescue team and they know about the Founders of the Justice League. So you can bet that they'll have Kryptonite ready for you, Superman. They'll have a counterattack for the Founders, but I doubt they'll be expecting you three." She faces Question, Huntress, and Vigilante.

"Then we'll kick their asses for thinking we're worthless!" Huntress growls, excited at the prospect of kicking ass.

"Wait, Rose," Shayera begins. "Did they mention anything about a Mothership?" Rose nods, wondering what the problem could be.

"What's wrong with a Mothership?" Flash asks.

"A Mothership usually contains hordes of Gordanians in there. And smaller fleets are bound to be near them, because the most important leader of a squadron will be hiding in the Mothership. So it's going to be 9 of us against a massive army."

"Our focus is the Mothership, correct?" Diana speaks up.

"Of course. That's where my sister is."

"Then we can mobilize any other heroes that are available to hold off the rest of the ships."

"So we're virtually declaring war on them," Rose states. Diana nods grimly.

"The heroes will fight against any opposition and protect the citizens while the 9 of us infiltrate the Mothership to find Kenra," Diana reasons.

Superman calls L-Ron forward. "You heard?"

"Yes, your Supey-ness. I will assemble all the available heroes to hold off the Gordanians. Good luck on the rescue!" he replies cheerily.

Superman turns around, facing the 8 present once more. "Let's go."

* * *

**Good grief my writing fluctuated. Must stop listening to P!nk…yeah, like that'll ever happen. Again, I apologize for the LOOONG update. Oh and I winged it when I was talking about the Mothership and such :p**


End file.
